Sampha @ Summit Music Hall

After a seven-year hiatus of releasing music, Sampha made his long-awaited return to Summit Music Hall April 8th, 2024 in Denver, CO. The electronic artist wasn’t kidding about bringing a unique experience to his loyal audience. Over half a decade of anticipation goin’ hand-in-hand’ with his recent release, Lahi.

Ruthven

As the venue began filling up with the sold-out crowd, Ruthven set the scene with a mix of more lo-fi electronic vibes & impressive vocal performance. Getting to see their creative process with the variety of boards set up, live instrumentation at play and the crowd’s interest was an overall nice experience to walk into and get warmed up for the headliner.

Sampha

The lights dimmed & the first notes filled the air. The atmosphere crackled with excitement as Sampha walked onto the stage. With the help of his drum pads & keys set the mood with Plastic 100°C. It was immediate this wasn’t your typical show of just mouthing to the official song. All of the instruments were fully live with jazz-like freestyles. This really felt like a unique experience as they breathed new life into the already amazing songs.

Being an avid fan, I found a corner at the balcony section of Summit to oversee everyone. I found myself literally around love as 3 different couples were near me. The first was dancing & being quirky with each other, the second in front the guy tightly wrapping his arm around her, and the third was a guy hugging the girl from behind singing in her ear. As a hopeless romantic, it warmed my heart to see the variety of love that was synchronizing to a single moment and highlighted the jazz-like influence that had captivated me the whole night.

The final notes faded and the applause rang out, clear that Sampha’s long-awaited return had been worth the wait. Those lucky enough to be in attendance, it was nothing short of good vibes. A celebration of artistry that I hope to see more in artist’s in the future and hope Sampha gets the roses he truly deserves.