Review: sombr @ Leader Bank Pavilion 10/8

Photo Credit: Bryce Glenn

Review by Isabelle Ireland

sombr is a rising star in the charts and even more popular on TikTok. The 20-year-old has been able to connect with his younger fans through his alternative music, which encapsulates teenage yearning.

At his concert on Oct. 8, he performed a rollercoaster of songs at Leader Bank Pavilion (LPB), along with multiple comedy bits that showcased his youth.
His opener, Devon Gabriella, also had a memorable set with her soft and powerful voice owning her originals and a beautiful cover of “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish.

sombr opened his set with an introduction for his band, spoken over the speakers by a pre-recorded version of himself with the inflection of a TV game show host. The set was red, with large arches and several smaller sections, including one that resembled a late-night talk show desk like Jimmy Fallon’s and another that looked like a therapist’s office with a couch, side tables, and lamps.

sombr is known on the internet as a clumsy, immature young man with a brain-rotted sense of humor. After a three-minute drum roll and flashing lights, sombr appeared, and the crowd roared. Within the first 10 seconds on stage, he slipped, fell, and owned it, incorporating it into his first song, “I wish I knew how to quit you.”
Unfortunately for many fans, LBP’s audio quality was scratchy, making sombr’s emotional lyrics even more painful to hear.

This was one of sombr’s first big shows, and he was able to hop on the piano to play the keys at the end of his opening song. I applaud his bravery, as many things could have kept him from succeeding, including the common cold he later revealed, but he persevered and delivered a great show.

“savior” was his next song, which, to me, was questionable, as were many set list decisions. He went straight into the next song, and the tempo change felt abrupt, but if you know Sombr from the internet, you know he’s a rollercoaster, and his setlist certainly reflected that.

Not having a true GA pit for this show was unfortunate and brought the vibes much lower than expected. But his fans, ranging from 13 to 25, made the LBP the right choice for safety reasons. He still managed to get everyone up and dancing for “we never dated,” hitting every note perfectly.

Unexpectedly, over the mic, fans heard, “Let’s give it up for sombr”— in Sombr’s own voice through a pre-recorded narration. He took a seat on the couch and was asked questions by himself, such as, “Tell us about a day in your life.” He responded, “I wake up around 6 or 7,” which had the crowd roaring due to the popular meme, 67.

The lights turned to a dark blue, and he continued into his set with “perfume.” His confidence had blossomed since he began performing, and it really showed here when he was so excited to sing such a sad song for his fans. One thing I, along with many online fans, have noticed is that he’s improved tremendously in his enunciation, making his lyrics much clearer during live performances. He thanked his band again before his guitarist had an insane riff, spot on to the original song.

He then played “do i ever cross your mind,” “come closer,” and “in your arms,” which were strange tempo changes, but he still managed to get the crowd excited and jumping, saying, “If you don’t jump, you aren’t cool enough to be here.”

Before performing “caroline,” Sombr shared the story behind the song: “I wrote this when I was just learning to produce and write, and then I posted it on the internet one day. I went to sleep expecting to wake up, go to school, and get bullied. But when I woke up, it had gone semi-viral overnight with around 200,000 likes. The next thing I knew, every label was in my inbox, and I was just this 16-year-old kid… I flew out to LA and signed my first record deal. I wouldn’t be here without you guys and this song.” He then gave an incredible performance of the track that launched his career, hitting every high note flawlessly — even after four years of puberty.

Right after the song ended, the jazz music started up again, and he asked fans to come up and call their exes. As he waited, he thanked the parents in the crowd for attending and shared that his mom was in the audience. The first girl called her ex-girlfriend, who liked her brother more, and in classic sombr fashion, he said, “Usually the woman is not the problem, but we are dealing with a lesbian relationship. So the woman is both the problem and not the problem. Happy Pride.” The second broken-up couple ended up saying “I love you” to each other, and he stated that “male manipulators are good at hiding.”

Once the fans exited, he went right into “dime” by jumping on stage. He forgot some of the lyrics but handled it well, joking around and finishing out my favorite song of his by telling the crowd to “say f**k you to your ex.” The vibes then died down when he played “would’ve been you,” which was entrancing, but he paused the set to eat a banana. He said he needed to, and as he ate, fans were begging for his banana peel in true rock and roll fashion.

He followed that with a fan favorite song, “undressed,” and danced all over the table. “Dance” here is used loosely, as he moved his body in very interesting ways that could resemble dancing. Either way, the fans ate it up.

“canal street” began with sombr crashing out on stage by flailing around. When he began singing, he was sprawled on the couch, lying down, but still singing continuously.

“I want to see some movement from the ladies for this one!” sombr shouted as the first chorus of “crushing” was played through the speakers. The stage was lit red; he was tapping his boots, jumping around, and finally made his way to the very ends of the stage to show everyone some love.

His range is incredible and reflected well in his next song, “Under the Mat,” where he also tried to get the crowd to shout back at him. Unfortunately, the crowd couldn’t hear him well due to the poor audio of the LBP, and they weren’t able to get hype for the upbeat parts of the song.

In his fake encore, the lights flashed and the stage went black. For many young fans, this was one of their first concerts, so not everyone knew to scream during this short break, which made sombr’s return to the stage for his final hit songs, “back to friends,” and “12 to 12,” a bit underwhelming.

However, fans managed to get back on their feet and sing with sombr while he fought aggressively with his mic stand, and the disco ball finally spun, illuminating the crowd.  “I just turned 20. It’s not a factory, it’s me in my room. Anyone can do it. If you ever feel alone or nobody loves you, it’s not true, because I love you so f**king much,” said sombr as the ending instruments played and he thrashed until he lay down on the stage.

My overall thoughts on sombr’s show are that he is an emotional singer, an even funnier person, and an incredible writer. Although I wish he played at a different venue, with a different set list, he killed every song while sick. He was able to show up and show out for his fans. I definitely hope to see him again in the future, and I cannot wait to watch his performances get better each time.