REVIEW: DEHD @ ROYALE 10/25

Review by Abbey Chaitin (Photo credit: Atiba Jefferson)

On October 25, 2022, Dehd was welcomed to the Royale by an electrified crowd. The band’s effortless renditions of their most upbeat songs captivated the audience. While they said few words to the crowd, members of the audience were still screaming and dancing. 

Their opener, No. 1 Pop Star, excited the audience like no other opener I have ever seen. She took the stage around 8 PM to begin her theatrical and engaging performance. Many members of the audience were pulled up on stage, and there was even a conga line started. She definitely made a lasting impression on the audience. As she left the stage, she screamed, “I’ll be doing charicatures for $5 at the merch stand,” and fans rushed to the table.  

At approximately 9 PM, Dehd took the stage with such nonchalance that their presence was almost unnoticed. After a few minutes of getting set up, the band came out swinging with one of their most popular songs, Bad Love, a song from their most recent album, titled Blue Skies. One of the lead singers, Emily, started off the song. The crowd buzzed with excitement and began to sing along.

The group followed Bad Love with a song from one of their earlier albums, Flower of Devotion. When singing Flooded, the two lead singers, Jason and Emily, switched off on lyrics in a seamless way. Jason started off the song, and Emily came in on the chorus. Through vocal overlapping, they provided a beautiful harmony that was incredible to witness live.

Dehd switched between their three most recent albums throughout the set, showing how consistent and defined their sound is. About halfway through the show, the band played another popular song, Stars. Jason, who had been fairly active the entire show, was jumping around while finger-picking — which was incredibly impressive. Emily, who was fairly still throughout the set, joined Jason in dancing. The audience was noticeably energized by the lead singers’ dancing and began dancing even more themselves.

The band finished their set with Wild, a track from one of their earlier albums, Water. They performed a beautiful rendition of one of their most uncomplicated songs.

Dehd’s show was an impressive performance of a variety of their songs. The group was able to appeal to all different types of Dehd fans. They seamlessly transitioned from more upbeat songs like Bad Love to songs such as Flood. Their live performance was even better than their studio albums — indicating how valuable it is to be able to experience concerts again.