I keep an eye on everything at The Green Room, so when A$H's show came across my radar I was already halfway there. Her show looked visually interesting before I knew much else, and that is usually all it takes for me. She built a whole set to perform inside of, stacked old TVs, a pink corded telephone, a neon tube glowing against the curtain. A set for her set.
A$H is a Memphis pop and R&B artist who spent years singing behind other people, Janelle Monáe, Solange, John Legend, Summer Walker, before stepping out front with her debut album Low Key.
She got introduced as a time traveller. The original inspiration for Barbie even! And the stage stopped reading like decoration and started reading like props from whatever era she had just stepped out of. She pulled from 80s pop and R&B all night, including a cover of Killing Me Softly, which I did not expect and loved, since I know it best as a Fugees song.
Artists do not usually haul in their own world like this. The room was dark and lit deep blue and magenta, which is a gift and a problem at once. Beautiful color, almost no light to work with. Limitations are the fun part. This was the second show of the weekend where the artist brought their own set.
Nights like this are why The Green Room stays on my list. Enjoy!
