I drove up to Phoenix on October 1st to see Upsahl for the second time, only this time she wasn’t the opener but the headline herself. The venue itself was very hidden in a dark alleyway. Valley bar is a bar on the second level and has a stage in their basement which is where the Upsahl fans were hidden. Upsahl’s music forte is pop and made it to the charts with her hit song “Drugs” (January 18, 2019). I was very fortunate to see her perform in her hometown in Arizona and it was easy to say that the audience at the Valley Bar had some special treatment. Upsahl leaked her unreleased and upcoming song very early into her show and all I can say is that it was truly a banger. The fan interaction was like no other. She was taking our phones for selfies left and right, answering facetime calls, taking a polaroid with all of us, she took MY disposable camera and took a picture only to have the girl in front of me covering my face…. Still mad. Lastly at the end of the night, jumped into the crowd and sang her final song “Lunatic” (October 8, 2021).
Upsahl’s opener was KiNG MALA and she DID NOT disappoint. I haven’t heard of her before that day but it is easy to say that I have now. There was never a dull moment with her music. The drums were so intense that dust would fall from the basement ceiling. The best song I heard that she performed was “Cult Leader” (April 8, 2022) and I highly recommend listening to it.
Overall, the show was all worth the two hour drive and I can’t wait to see both of them again.
Written By: Kylie Morgan, October 2, 2022