REVIEW: Sasha Sloan @ The Royale 11/16

By Grace Lauson

On Saturday, November 16th Sasha Sloan took the stage at The Royale in Boston. The venue was filled with her fans ready to support Sloan on her Let’s Get Sad Tour. 

Winnetka Bowling League opened up for Sloan. Even with the lead vocalist having lost his voice the day before the show, the band still was able to energetically perform a variety of their songs. The crowd responded very well to them, swaying, clapping, and singing along. They did a great job of getting the crowd excited and ready for Sasha to perform. 

Sasha then took the stage starting off with her song “Thoughts.” Fans went crazy and loudly sang along with Sasha to this slow and sad song. Following the opening song, she expressed her excitement for playing a show in Boston, her hometown, and connected with the crowd through their mutual love of Tom Brady and Boston sports. 

Sasha went on to sing “Again” and “Faking It” off of her 2018 EP Loser. She often explained the significance of her songs before performing them. The connection between Sloan and the crowd was indescribable. She reiterated her appreciation for her fan base multiple times throughout the show. 

Sloan’s performance was stripped of distracting graphics and lights. A static image of a sketch of a girl remained behind her throughout the show. Blue and red lights were softly used throughout to enhance the emotion behind her songs. She introduced her band members mid-way through the show to express her appreciation for them but they stayed largely in the background throughout her performance. This all contributed to the emotion conveyed through Sasha’s songs as the audience was able to focus on her voice and the lyrics she was singing throughout the entirety of the show. 

Sasha went on to sing songs off her newest EP Self Portrait, including “Thank God,” “Dancing With Your Ghost,” and “Too Sad To Cry.” She dedicated a song to her boyfriend, King Henry,  and then one to her family. Seeing as Sloan is from Boston, many of her family members came to the show. She referenced how she never envisioned singing some of her songs in front of her family. She went on to sing her most popular song, with over 70 million streams on Spotify, Older,which she stated would be a way to roast her family members at the show.

Before Sasha played her last song she brought up a fan on stage who had her lyrics tattooed on him. She hugged him, thanked him for his support, and went on to sing her final song of the night, “Smiling When I Die.”

Sloan’s performance was a very moving and emotional experience. The way she is able to connect with her audience on a deep personal level is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I would definitely recommend going to her show, it is a performance I will never forget.