Clairo Comes to the 9:30 Club

On November 12th at 7:00 pm doors opened at the 9:30 club for the Clairo concert. I was in attendance with three of my friends (Anying, Carol and Elena). The openers were Hello Yello and Beabadoobee. We arrived late, closer to 8:30 pm after eating some nachos and grabbing drinks at El Rey, a nearby bar and Mexican restaurant. However, I feel like I showed up at a perfect time. We were still able to get close to the stage and have a clear view of performers without having to stand around for hours.

The crowd was in high spirits when we arrived and there was a calm atmosphere within the 9:30 Club. My friends and I sipped beers and whisky sours and later munched on quesadillas, listening to the openers as we awaited Clairo taking the stage. I found the opener Hello Yello, although talented, a bit of an odd choice to open for Clairo since their musical genre (alternative/indie but also slightly more hardcore, even screamo at times) felt notably different from Clairo’s (soft bubblegum indie pop, lo-fi). Beabadoobee, however, felt very fitting with Clairo’s energy and had the crowd dancing and singing along to their set, although I did not know much of their music prior.

Clairo’s set was everything I could have hoped for. Despite her being sick and “losing her voice” (her words), she still sounded angelic and lovely. She had a great stage presence, bopping across the stage in front of eclectic and ethereal set designs. Playing her more notable top hits like “Pretty Girl” along with a large chunk of her newest album release: Immunity (2019), Clairo satisfied the crowd of concert-goers.

I would describe the concert on the whole as: mellow, danceable, and vibey. Her set backgrounds contributed to the overall low-key tone of her set. I found her commentary between songs endearing because it was clear she felt extremely grateful for all the support and for selling out the 9:30 Club show.

She seemed very down to earth and I appreciated that she seemed approachable, like a real person, rather than some larger-than-life celebrity when she took the stage. Below is a little photo essay of the show, along with some video clips from my favorite song performances.

To learn more about Clairo and her music, visit her website: https://www.clairo.com. To discover the 9:30 Club and future shows in this venue, take a look at their homepage: https://www.930.com.