Confidence Man and SOFI TUKKER
Forest Hills Stadium // Queens, NY // September 26, 2024
Photos and review by Jess Williams
In central Queens, NY lies the picturesque and historical Forest Hills Stadium. Once the Mecca of tennis in New York City, the venue now lays host to a series of concerts every summer. On September 27th, New York City natives Sofi Tukker brought their Bread Tour to Forest Hills alongside Confidence Man and Carola.
The dense mugginess that circulated the air made it hard to believe that it was actually fall time, but hundreds of New Yorkers gathered at the stadium for one of their last chances at an outdoor show this year and a final goodbye to summer. The venue operates almost like a festival grounds, with food and beverage stands lining the perimeter of an expansive astroturf green to hang out on. Patrons strolled around the venue, taking in their surroundings to the sounds of Brazilian DJ, Carola who performed an hour-long set to kick off the evening’s festivities.
Confidence Man
The Australian band, Confidence Man graced the stage next. Kicking off their high-energy set with “Does It Make You Feel Good?”, Confidence Man wasted no time. Aside from making infectious beats, the duo pleasantly surprised the crowd with their synchronized dance moves, acrobats singing poses and hair flips galore. Three songs into their set and fans were given an outfit change straight out of the Y2K era. Donning white leather outfits with light-up pieces on their shoulders and chest, respectively, the duo continued through some much-anticipated hits including “I Can’t Lose You”, “Now U Do” and “So What?”.
For an evening that was anticipated to be full of lighthearted fun, great dancing and fresh beats, Confidence Man surely set the stage in the best way possible. To keep the party going between sets, Carola returned to the stage after Confidence Man. The crowd was hyped, as Carola played her own mixes to “Guess” by Charli XCX and many other brat-summer hits.
SOFI TUKKER
The sun had fully set and the night sky was illuminated by the orange and pink lights on the stage. Fans were pumped up and ready to go for the main attraction of the evening, Sofi Tukker. Opening their set with the title track from their most recent album Bread, lead vocalist/guitarist Sophie Hawley-Weld entered the stage through Grecian pillars in center stage. Shortly following, her other half, Tucker Halpern graced the stage through the same pillars.
Accompanied by members of Bob’s Dance Shop, the viral flash mob dancing group, Sofi Tukker lit up the stage with their smiles and dance moves. Their performance was quite the homecoming, with the floor packed to the brim with people losing their minds to the music. Sofi Tukker’s lengthy setlist included hits like “Spiral”, “Swing”, “Purple Hat” and “Sacrifice”, their collaboration with Kx5 (Kaskade & deadmau5).
Homecoming shows are always special and such a treat to be a part of. Having waited years to finally see Sofi Tukker live, I can say for certain that they did not disappoint.
