Author: Alecsandra Fitzwater

Lights gleamed. Hands raised. Grounds shook. The Chicago native and LA based DJ, Whethan, put on an extraordinary show at The Sylvee last Thursday, October 4th.

Whethan photo courtesy of Chris Lotten

Whethan’s composure as he ran out onto the stage spoke for itself – he was just as excited to be performing as we were there to listen. His hair flopping, face grinning and knees bumping naturally made us do the same. Starting out with one of his hit singles, “High” immediately hooked the crowd and was a song we felt obliged to scream to. He followed with several songs that only electrified the crowd more – “Sleepy Eyes”, “Aftertaste”, “Love Gang”, “Be Like You”, “When I’m Down” and my personal favorite, “Good Nights.” These hits played back to back to back and had the crowd inching closer and closer to the stage.

As predicted, Whethan performed “Savage” with the volume notched up and the bass bumping hard enough that we’d bounce to the back of the venue if the front wasn’t so compact. “Savage” was rightfully complimented with raging and reflecting lights, but Whethan slowed it down and mixed in a song that I was less familiar with called, “Every Step That I Take” featuring Portugal. The Man. In a way, it reminded me of “High” with Dua Lipa – longer and deeper chords and melodies.

I found myself resonating with songs I hadn’t before. “Do You Feel This Way” made tears well up in my eyes and clogged my throat with a ball of emotions. I don’t know if it was the way the lights moved with the beat or the way people swayed around me, but I understood the lyrics more than I ever had.

Some of Whethan’s most profound songs have come out in the past five months and I am so excited to see what else he has in store. As a young adult in the start of his career, I can’t anticipate his future singles to be any less than what we experienced at The Sylvee.