Beeson, fresh off her drive from Los Angeles, headlined her first show here in her hometown. Phoenix welcomed her with open arms, packing into Rebel Lounge to scream every word. But not before swaying along to the beautifully haunting melodies from Sarah June.
If you’ve never listened to Sarah June, let me be the first to encourage you to RUN to whatever streaming service you use. As she graced the stage, the crowd fell to a hush once her stunning voice dripped through the microphone. Her presence on stage is subtle, allowing her voice to take up the space. The band plays behind her in an illuminating way, never taking away from the beauty of the performance.
Every song she sings sounds like a spell, enchanting the audience and calling their attention softly. Once the song ends, Sarah snaps out of it. She stops hiding behind the vulnerability of the music and becomes a bit shy, but nonetheless engaging. Her mannerisms are simply adorable, pumping her fist to encouraging comments and smiling to friends she recognizes in the audience. At one point, after acknowledging her education coworkers in the audience, she encourages the crowd to “give it up for education” to which everyone cheered (rightfully so).
As you watch her, you notice a physicality the deeply matches the music. She taps her foot to beats you may have missed, and she sways in a way that almost feels syncopated to the music. Watching and listening to her was a stunning experienced, and I was absolutely entranced. At one point her band left the stage so she could perform her latest single “Ties” and an unreleased song about anxiety. The entire time, I took maybe one or two pictures. I couldn’t bring myself to stop watching her. She has an aura that’s entrancing. I feel almost grateful that Phoenix gets to have her talent.
Headlining the show was Beeson. We got to speak before the show for an interview and she gushed about how excited she was for the show. She grew up in Arizona but didn’t start performing until she moved to Utah for college. Many of her childhood friends were in the audience and the audience was packed! Everyone knew the words to majority of the songs and you could hear the joy from the crowd.
Beeson and her band have such amazing chemistry on stage. Their instruments almost sound like they were made for each other. Oftentimes during the show her bassist Avery and guitarist Carson would watch each other – not to keep tempo or make sure they were playing correctly, they were simply enjoying playing with each other. When Beeson wasn’t engaging with the crowd, she was running up to one of them to play together. Her drummer Mitch was never left out of the fun either, singing along to the words and having the honor of holding Dayquil, Jane’s chicken.
The setlist included many different songs from Beeson’s discography and a couple fun additions. Crowd-pleasers like “Love Her Better” and “Pink Light” as well as an upcoming single titled “Gap Teeth.” One amazing addition included an incredibly energetic cover of The Chain, with Jane as Stevie Nicks and Carson as Lindsey Buckingham, obviously. They also performed one of Carson’s super groovy singles titled “Online Issues”, which is one of my favorite songs now.
For the entire show, the band was ALL smiles. Almost every picture I took included someone smiling or jamming out. It was incredible. It created such a fun and upbeat atmosphere – the kind you expect from live, intimate venues like Rebel Lounge. Even if I hadn’t got to talk with Jane before the show, anyone at the show could tell you how down-to-earth, cool, and downright adorable she is. Her energy is perfect for a stage. In her moments of performing she has a soft girl aura, accompanying her incredible songwriting. But in her moments with the crowd, she is simply delightful. Watching Beeson perform is quintessentially what concerts should always feel like.
