BE$T WORST SHOW IN AMERICA: What Really Happened at Slayyyter L.A.

It’s 8:55 p.m., and security outside the Shrine is yelling at us to get inside the venue. Doors opened at 7:00, but my friends and I got too distracted at the pregame and made it in just before Slayyyter was set to go on stage at 9 p.m. We’d spent months anticipating tonight’s show. After many failed attempts at getting tickets for the August 23rd show, we couldn’t believe there was a second show added, and we fought tooth and nail for these tickets. Most of us had been fans since 2019 when she was posting singles on SoundCloud and asking fans in Twitter group chats to please promote her stuff.

Slayyyter in 2019.

We ran onto the floor as the lights went out and the beginning of “DANCE…” started booming through the speakers, the lights started blinking, and we could feel the energy radiating off of every body in that room. As she came on stage, the crowd erupted in a wave of applause and excitement, and all I could think of was how smart it was for me to have brought my earplugs. The show started, and she began to sing; it seemed like everyone in that room had meticulously studied the lyrics to every song she played. Even when she played some of her unreleased songs, the crowd continued to sing along without missing a beat. She got up on that stage and gave her all, feeding off the crowd’s energy, and we all danced the entire show. I don’t think there’s been a concert where I’ve danced more than this one.

Everywhere I turned entire friend groups were serenading each other and thrashing around; you could feel just how much everyone meant to each other. As she sang her newest single, “brand new chanel$,” the entire crowd screamed along with her, some people with tears in their eyes. I’ve never seen a more dedicated fan base than hers, dancing and singing along to her most popular single (post-Coachella and Lollapalooza performances). There was a sense of pride in watching her achieve what she’d spent so much of her career assuming she never could.

When fan favorites like “CRANK” were played, you felt the whole room shake. It was an energy like no other, the whole crowd jumping and singing along to an entire song. As the show came to an end and she played “BEAT UP CHANEL$,” somehow the crowd yelled even louder and danced even harder. I was surrounded by friends and strangers who had all been brought together by arguably one of the best new artists of the decade, and this show proved it.