DYLAN with Support from Mercer Henderson at Union Stage in DC
BY LIZ BAUMMERUnion Stage is a small basement venue along the DC waterfront. With a max capacity of 450 people, it can be easy for the venue to feel small, but on this gorgeous Saturday evening that could not have been farther from the truth. Before the performances even began, I was blown away by the fans. As a photographer, it can be easy to spend the evening leaning up against a wall and speaking to no one for several hours. I had the exact opposite experience though. After running into and catching up with a friend from high school, I befriended a group of friends who were up against the stage. They took me into their group and included me in their pictures and BeReals throughout the night, even stopping me as I left the venue to ask if I wanted a picture under the Union Stage sign. I have always felt that the fans are a direct reflection of the community an artist has built, and for me these were the best kind of fans. It may have been a room full of strangers that night but everyone was supporting each other, and I could feel the empowerment all around.
The night started off with the amazing Mercer Henderson. Mercer’s set was dynamic, consisting of both high energy hits and slower, more contemplative numbers. My favorite is Strangers which chronicles what it is like to go through a friend break up. These friend break ups can arguably be even worse than romantic relationships sometimes, and in my opinion not enough art sums up exactly what it feels like to fall out with a friend. Henderson nails the sentiments and emotions that come with losing a friend in a catchy but emotionally charged anthem that will be on repeat in my apartment for days to come. Henderson also played What You Wanted, a new single that was released April 19th. If you have ever been a victim of mixed signals you will certainly relate to the lyrics in this new song. Henderson also made a point to interact with fans throughout the set by bending down to get to eye level which made for some really impactful moments. If you’re not familiar with Henderson’s music I cannot recommend enough that you check her out. With her incredible vocals and catchy lyrics, it is only a matter of time before she is a household name.
The crowd was buzzing by the time Dylan took the stage that evening. Dylan has what I can only describe as an innate ability to make you feel like you are in a sold out stadium of 20,000+ people. The amount of energy in the room was insane for a venue that holds less than 500 people. It is hard to know where to start when describing her set. There was dancing, multiple guitars (the red one is my absolute favorite!), and both new and old music. Of course, Dylan played Rebel Child, for which the tour is named, along with Alibi, her newest single. She also played music that I remember her teasing on TikTok over the years including No Romeo, Not Harry Styles, and Nineteen. There were also covers mixed in including a cover of Out of the Woods by Taylor Swift, which Dylan clarified she had to do since she covered Harry Styles last tour. Dylan also added dialogue in between songs to discuss life experiences and specifically ex-boyfriends with the audience. At one point she acknowledges that her song Blue is one of the few positive relationship songs she has before admitting she debated on whether to play it or not because of how the relationship turned out. She then joked that she decided to add it to the setlist anyways because might as well make money from the failed relationship which earned a massive amount of laughs from the audience. Unfortunately, by the time this is posted, the tour for Dylan is coming to an end. However, I cannot suggest enough that the next time she goes on tour you get tickets. I can almost guarantee that within the next few years she’ll go from making small venues feel like arenas to selling out actual arenas, and I for one cannot wait to watch it happen!
P.S. I would also be remiss if I did not pass on a little bit of wisdom I gained from this show and this experience. Dylan’s show, while obviously phenomenal, was also an incredibly personal and full circle moment for me. I have been following Dylan for years and just over two years ago, I was in her TikTok comments begging her to release “Not Harry Styles” and to let me photograph her on tour one day. In case you needed it, this is your sign to never give up on your dreams! Just over two years later I just fulfilled one of mine!
