Three nights ago I attended what ended up being a sold out Saba show at the Fillmore Silver Spring. I have been working since Easter nonstop and have been feeling very tired everyday after work so no offense to the opening acts but I wanted to arrive just in time to just catch Saba. The show was due to start at 8pm and I ended up arriving at 9:35pm and it just so happened that the timing was perfect because there was no line to get in (everyone was already inside) and after being searched by security I heard the DJ say, “Are y’all ready for Saba?”. I decided to wear my mask tonight because 1, I’m going out of the country this weekend and I don’t need a positive covid test before I leave and  2, I didn’t want to smell weed as much throughout the night.

     I remember a few years ago when Saba performed at this very same venue and it definitely wasn’t sold out then but look at his progression as an artist now. His latest album “Few Good Things” is stellar in my opinion with many noteworthy songs and deep storytelling lyricism. The features in songs are perfect and give them that extra “umph”. He had the stage set up like a bus stop that he used to hang at in Chicago (where he’s from). Once on stage, he started out with a few songs off his latest album and the crowd immediately got into it. Another thing that I’ll mention is that the crowd was mixed white, black, old(er) and young(er). The older people I saw seemed a bit out of place, I couldn’t tell if they were there as chaperones or if they were there to enjoy the show themselves.

     I situated myself downstairs towards the back by the bar and sound guy. One thing about the Fillmore is that it’s only but so big and in my opinion no matter where you are you’ll be able to see (which is another reason I didn’t mind being late). I danced, sang, snapped a few pictures and videos and overall had a good time. Saba spoke of how grateful he was to be touring again given the pandemic and how grateful he was to all of the fans showing him love. He said he knew he loved the music he made but he wasn’t quite sure if everyone would get it. There was a bit of storytelling in between some songs but not much. He ended up performing songs from other albums and even a few unreleased songs. By about 10:40pm the show was over. If you haven’t yet be sure to check out Saba on all streaming platforms and if you’re in the area you can check him out at the “Something in the Water” festival in June.