Willow sells out Philadelphia on her pop-punk 'Life Tour'

October 13, 2021

Willow's domination over the resurgence of pop-punk continued with a sold out show at the iconic Theater of Living Arts on South Street in Philadelphia.

Age has brought Willow Smith out of the experimental R&B/Pop scene and into the middle of a newly thriving generation of pop punk artists. It became clear after the release of "Transparent Soul" featuring Travis Barker earlier this summer that Willow had reached a musical crossroads and was going to venturing into a new sonic realm with her upcoming album. The song quickly climbed the charts when it was released in spring of 2021 and the full length album, "Lately I Feel Everything," would end up debuting at #5 on the Top Alternative Albums chart and #6 on the Top Independent Album chart. 


Riding the success of the new album it was announced that Willow would hit the road this fall for the 'Life Tour' with the majority of shows selling out weeks in advance including the October 12 show at the Theater of Living Arts. It may have been a Tuesday night but the city of Philadelphia was ready to party like it was a Saturday as the line for entry into the venue wrapped down South Street hours before doors were scheduled to open. Shortly after doors opened fans began to flow into the venue as fast as possible to either grab a position on the barricade or attempt to buy merchandise before it was gone. The venue was packed to capacity in what seemed like only a few short minutes after doors as the majority of eager fans arrived early and began to wait for the 9:30PM stage time for Willow.

As the house lights went dim and the purple washed stage came to life the crowd began to roar with anticipation for the start of the show. Dimly lit projections burst to life across the stage and Willow walked out to deafening screams from the crowd as she started the night of with "Transparent Soul." The crowd went insane, the energy of the Theater of Living Arts matched that of many of the iconic punk shows it has hosted in it's many years of operation - possibly even exceeding those before. As the crowd screamed along the lyrics it became clear that Willow had not only found her voice with this album but also the voices of a generation who were hungry for music that related to them.


Willow quickly ditched her guitar and moved right into the speedy "Gaslight" as the crowd continued to jump with such intensity that the floor could be felt moving from their energy. Willow saw their energy and matched it as she ran across the stage interacting with as many fans as possible during her rapidly paced songs. By the third song crowd surfers had begun to emerge from the densely packed crowd as Willow belted out the entirety of "GROW" and delivered Avril Lavigne's parts of the songs with the help of the hyped crowd.


The set remained focused on the future for Willow as she delivered nearly every song off "Lately I Feel Everything," much to the surprise and joy of the crowd as they sang every song back with as much energy as they could. The middle of the set also featured a few covers of The Anxiety that were well placed in the set and the fans still knew nearly all the words. Willow is no longer the girl telling you to 'whip your hair back and forth' - she's evolved into a complex artist with the weight of generation on her shoulders looking to find their place in overly complex world. With a support set for Billie Eilish on the horizon the future is bright for Willow as she continues to both save pop-punk and independent music all at once with her uniquely fresh take on the genres.

Article Written By:

Matt Christine

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