Gigi Perez's 'At the Beach, In Every Life,' live at Lincoln Theatre

By: Michael O'Shea

Fresh off the release of her new album, At The Beach, In Every Life, singer-songwriter Gigi Perez hit Washington, DC’s Lincoln Theatre Tuesday night as part of her first headline tour.

After technical difficulties delaying entrance to the venue, fans were eager to see the show, and the opening act, Nikole, did not disappoint. What started as an acoustic set with the self-proclaimed “loverbitch” on guitar became, by the second song, a dance party for the audience. This was a pattern for the majority of her set, alternating between laid-back acoustic tracks and more upbeat selections, including call-and-response cheers with the audience.

If the audience liked Nikole, they were living for Perez. From the start of her set, it became clear that she has outstanding voice control. Although she is known for her low and raspy tone, her upper register demands the same attention; she comfortably delivered chillingly beautiful and clear vocals throughout the night. She shone especially in “Sometimes (Backwood) and “Sugar Water,” during which her sister, Bella Perez, joined her for a duet. As one fan, Dani Gish, put it, Perez was even “better in person than she was on her album.” This seemed to be a commonly held sentiment among attendees. 

The theatre provided an atmosphere that coupled perfectly with Gigi’s hard-hitting emotional ballads. Despite limited audience interaction, Perez managed to engage with her fans in a different way—there was a palpable sense of reverence in the theater, which I have rarely felt from any other artist, if at all. Over time, she seemed to gain more confidence and come out of her shell, moving around the stage much more as the set went on.

The singles from the album were clearly the most popular songs of the night with the audience singing along to every word. During “Fable,” it seemed they couldn’t possibly be any louder, until Perez stopped singing to share a reflection on her religious uncertainty, grief over her sister, and disapproval of the actions of the Trump administration. She shared with the audience, “As I've been questioning what I believe in, I know that… [Jesus] was right, and that the law is love, and the law is not oppressing and detaining people and taking people away from their homes.” After this speech and a promise on behalf of the queer community to protect young queer individuals, the audience sang even louder.

Rounding out the night with the strobe lights of the upbeat “Chemistry,” which had the audience dancing more than ever. The energy that had built throughout the show culminated in the sentimental “Sailor Song,” which everyone knew, even if they hadn’t known the words to the other songs. The audience was buzzing by the end from the phenomenal performance. I went in with minimal knowledge of her music, but I left a fan. With a voice like Perez’s, it’d be hard not to be.

Photos By: Sanya Wason

Support: Nikole