Dawn Richard played Racket NYC

With hazardous air spewing around outside, Dawn Richard kicked off her tour at Racket NYC and partied as if the world was coming to an end.

Fusing electro-pop, R&B, hip-hop, funk, and futuristic rock and roll, Dawn Richard put on a performance like no other for her tour opening in New York City. Coming alive with throbbing bass and heavy beats, the New Orleans singer brought killer aesthetics, sensual power, and turbo-charged energy to her set that featured solid drumming and phenomenal dancing which kept the night bumping from start to finish. Her backup dancers set the stage as Dawn took to the venue decked out in a stunning blue number that sparkled across the dance floor, her matching head piece another fierce addition to her ensemble and instantly she began to work the crowd over with her stunning pipes and vicious dance moves. Commanding the stage with un-denying force, Richard was in full control all night long and affirmed her status as an ultimate triple threat right from the start. Her rapping, singing, and dancing were a total tour-de-force on stage and her ability to toggle between all three skills was on point for the entire evening. Despite playing to a rather intimate crowd, Dawn treated the event as if she was playing to the masses. Her choreography never missed a beat and between each routine she'd spit some serious verse before erupting with belting vocals that seemed to take over her entire body. This was a fully committed performance with nothing left to chance and nothing skimped out on even for the relatively small audience. Interpolating other tracks into her own kept the crowd fully engaged and when she slipped into a cover of No Doubt's "Don't Speak" it was the first of several great moments of the evening. "Bussifame" was thumping from the get go and seemed to only increase in intensity as the song progressed, the room shaking along to the bouncing vibrations which sent the crowd into a tizzy. It was loud, electric, and full of passion that was enhanced by Dawn and her dancers bringing everything they had into the number. As the night moved on, she ditched her elaborate stage wardrobe for something a lot more simple, "I'm practically naked now let's go" she exclaimed after freeing herself from the outfit and once she was in the clear and ready to move about the stage, she never stood still again. Racing from side to side and hitting every dance move along the way, it was an energy packed hour that rushed by as "Jacuzzi" brought more fire and passion to the night while she continued to dip into other tracks like "Zombie" by the Cranberries. She even remained humble when a fan yelled out "From Junior's Cheesecake to Racket! Let's fucking go!" to which she politely replied "I didn't do the cheesecake though, that's Da Band" which was followed by a soft chuckle. Even so, she seemed elated to be back in New York and forever grateful that fans braved the apocalypse outside to attend her show. "It looks like Dune out there y'all" she joked before bringing the night to an end with her latest banger "Bubblegum," another electro-bounce jam that closed out the night only to leave the crowd chanting her name in hopes of an encore that never came.