Nessa Barrett performs at The Salt Shed in Chicago on Feb. 6, 2025.
By Alexandra Geshel
Nessa Barrett just played to a sold-out crowd at The Salt Shed and walking up the venue before doors, all I saw were fans lining up around the venue wearing blankets, cowboy hats, and cute outfits, waiting and praying to be able to witness this amazing show on the barricade! Which is what every fan wants, isn’t it? Now this being my 2nd time seeing Nessa, I was excited to see what she would bring to this show and what her stage setup would be, and once again, it did not disappoint nor did her new album, Aftercare.
For this show, Nessa did have one opener which was Ari Abdaul who I actually discovered from Tik Tok so being able to see her live was so cool and also a great opener for this tour! I think Ari Abdul has a similar sound/similar fan base and it seemed like a lot of people absolutely loved her set because of how much energy she put into it but also how she interacted with the fans. She truly gave a great set and such a fun way to help kick off this tour since Chicago was only the 2nd date! Ari also played about 8 songs and ended with her hit song “Babydoll” which had the venue and everyone around going nuts before she walked off the stage while the crew prepped for Nessa.
Nessa Barrett performs at The Salt Shed in Chicago on Feb. 6, 2025.
Now Nessa Barrett’s stage presence was incredible. Playing black and white video clips behind her, from what I think could be from music videos or maybe from BTS of photo shoots or promo for this tour, just added to the Aftercare vibes of this tour/album. What I mean by that is instead of being super energetic or being all over the stage, Nessa stayed more on a little platform with her band behind her and her mic stand and sang. She sounded absolutely incredible and I just loved the mellow vibes and being able to really hear the music. She also did bring a guitar out and absolutely killed playing it but also did bring a chair out and got a tad more intimate with her fans, but don’t worry, Nessa still does come close to the stage edge though and still interacts with her fans but I would say she does it a little less which is totally understandable. Nessa played a twenty-two-song set which was all Aftercare and a single, “Passenger Princess”. Overall, it was a phenomenal set and I highly recommend seeing Nessa Barrett on this tour if you can! Again, this is my 2nd time catching her and there is a reason why, she is an incredible singer/songwriter and I enjoy these beautiful sets she builds and I love seeing her fans go crazy for her. Plus like I said above, she has a great opener too!
(Photos and recap by Alexandra Geshel)
