On Friday the 13th of October, Fred again.. delivered an unforgettable set in his favorite city, New York.
Hailing from the UK, one of electronic music’s most sought-after artists, Fred again.., made his grand return to what he says is his “favourite city,” New York City, for three consecutive nights. The 1.5-hour ensemble began just after 8 p.m., as Fred took to the main stage to a massive uproar from 13,000 attendees for the sold-out show. On the second of three nights at the Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, on Friday, October 13th, Fred provided an unforgettable set – a serenade.
Fred again..’s set was heavily influenced by his Actual Life tunes, the three albums that he created over the course of the pandemic. The LPs resulted in a massive positive response from music fans, catapulting Fred Gibson (Fred again..) into superstardom (as an artist), and eventually one of the biggest names in electronic music today. Beginning his set with Actual Life’s “Kyle (i found you),” the stadium was on their feet from the very start, and their roaring screams, and complete sing-along were a constant throughout the course of the show.
Delivering messages on one of the three large, vertical screens behind the main stage, there was a sense of togetherness and comradery felt within the space. During most of Actual Life tracks that were played during the set, Fred included visuals and videos – as he often does – of those featured on the tracks. Among the early set inclusions were “Roze (forgive),” “Bleu (better with time),” and “Tate (how i feel).” His crowd interactions, which were nearly always playful and appreciative, were of course, widely well received by attendees, who were heard loudly singing along or chanting “Fred.”
Making way from the main stage to a small stage on the opposite side of the stadium, as fans roared in excitement, Fred walked through the center of the crowd on the floor. His “in the round” style second stage was reminiscent of his Coachella 2023 main stage setup, where he served as headliner for weekend 2 along with Skrillex & Four Tet. A memorable moment from the evening: As Fred performed his club hits “Rumble” with Skrillex & Flowdan and “Jungle” the stadium was rumbling and shaking as concertgoers were fittingly stomping and singing along as loudly as possible. Also played from the second stage, his massive collab with Swedish House Mafia ft. Future, “Turn On The Lights Again..,” set a different tone – the feeling of transforming the outdoor stadium into a giant nightclub.
Several times during the course of his set, Fred also would ask the audience to show some love to his crew, team, and, of course, his right-hand man, Tony Friend. “I’ve created a monster,” said Fred while laughing, as the crowd continued to chant “Tony.”
Released the very same day, Oct. 13, Fred released his latest single “ten” with Jozzy, which he made known to fans, he was playing live for the first time since its release. Within the ensemble, he also included his previously released hit single “adore u” with Obongjayar.
Other popular Actual Life tracks that were showcased within Fred’s set included: “Danielle (smile on my face),” “Kammy (like i do,” “Sabrina (i am a party),” “Carlos (make it through),” and “Clara (the night is dark).” However, those weren’t the only Actual Life tunes to wow those in attendance. One of his biggest tunes from the album trilogy, “Marea (we’ve lost dancing), was a highlight, as were some of the other most recognized album smashes: “Angie (i’ve been lost),” “Delilah (pull me out of this),” and “Billie (loving arms).”
Fred again.. continues his string of tour dates with a stop at Miami’s III Points Festival as well as an 8-night sold-out run at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, with dates spanning between Oct. 24 through Nov. 2.
Photo Credit: Theo Batterham