Concert Review: Yola at The Eastern

Six-time Grammy Award nominee Yola brought her unique blend of soul-meets-Americana to Atlanta with a bang. The Bristol, England born singer/songwriter has been making waves in the music industry since her debut album Walk Through Fire and her 2021 sophomore release Stand For Myself. 

The Eastern's usual 2,200 cap standing room only balcony was decked out with chairs for the performance. Yola's sound encompasses many generations, so, as you'd expect, many generations of folks made their way to the show. Her audience had people of all different walks of life present, including one couple who made their way all the way from Massachusetts. 

R'n'B singer Jac Ross opened up the night at his piano. The wise-cracking singer is certainly an up-and-comer, only a handful of singles released into the world, but don't let that fool you: he is stellar. Mixing together keys and prerecorded tracks, Jac took the stage solo but filled the room with his presence. His candid attitude mixed with some great stage banter made him a likeable performer on top of his amazing vocals and songwriting prowess.  

Yola is without a doubt one of the best vocalists in music right now. The raw power and complete control over her voice is beyond impressive. Her ability to go from massive roars and swells down to near minuscule whispers is something to behold live.   

Yola's backing band also deserves praise. The five-piece consisting of guitars, bass, percussion, keys, organ, and more, brought life to the music. Their musical abilities added so much flavor to the night, the rich and thoughtful sound kept things groovy and warm.

As happy as can be, Yola is a performer at heart. You could see it all over her face, she was having a blast playing music. Her stage presence was all encompassing, nifty dances moves, struts across the stage, and some fun banter with the audience made the night special. 

Yola filled the night with nearly twenty songs from across her two studio albums and a handful of covers. "Starlight" was an early favorite with is shimmery performance and her cover of Aretha Franklin's "Day Dreaming" as stood out from the pack (and is one of her mother's favorites). 

          1. Barely Alive

          2. Starlight

          3. Dancing Away In Tears

          4. Now You're Here

          5. Be My Friend

          6. Faraway Look

          7. Whatever You Want (acoustic)

          8. Shady Grove (acoustic)

          9. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John cover)

          10. Diamond Studded Shoes

          11. It Ain't Easier

          12. Break The Bough

          13. Great Divide

          14. Day Dreaming (Aretha Franklin cover)

          15. Stand For Myself

          -

          16. Sweet Love (Anita Baker cover)

          17. If I Had To Do It Again

          18. Don't Stop the Music (Yarbrough & Peoples cover)

Yolal still has a ton of touring left, including a stop at Birmingham's Saturn and a handful of dates supporting Chris Stapleton. She'll also spend three weekends in the Coachella Valley for both weekends of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Music Festival.

          3/20 Birmnigham, AL — Saturn*

          3/22 Little Rock, AR — The Hall*

          3/23 New Orleans, LA — Joy Theater*

          3/25 Dallas, TX — The Studio at The Factory*+

          3/26 Houston, TX — The Heights Theater*+

          3/27 Austin, TX — Stubb's BBQ*+

          3/29 Kansas City, MO — Uptown Theater*

          3/30 Oklahoma City, OK — The Jones Assembly*

          4/05 Salt Lake City, UT — The Depot*

          4/06 Boise, ID — The Knitting Factory*

          4/07 Bozeman, MT — The Elm*

          4/09 Missoula, MT — Wilma Theater*

          4/10 Seattle, WA — The Showbox*

          4/11 Portland, OR — Roseland Theater*

          4/14 San Francisco, CA — The Filmore*

          4/15 Sacramento, CA — Ace Of Spades*

          4/17 Indio, CA — Coachella 2022

          4/20 Toledo, OH — Huntington Center~

          4/21 Columbus, OH — Schottenstein Center~

          4/23 Lexington, KY — Kroger Field~

          4/24 Indio, CA — Coachella 2022

          4/26 Las Vegas, NV — House of Blues

          4/28 Englewood, CA — Gothic Theater*

          4/29 Boulder, CO — Boulder Theater*

          5/01 Indio, CA — Stagecoach 2022

          7/20 London, UK — KOKO

          7/21 London, UK — KOKO

          8/14 Telluride, CO — Telluride Jazz Festival 2022

          9/09 Minneapolis, MN — First Avenue*

          9/10 Des Moines, IA — Hoyt Sherman Place*

          9/11 St. Louis, MO — The Pageant*

          9/13 Chicago, IL — Thalia Hall*

          9/14 Milwaukee, WI — Pabst Theater*

          9/17 Charlottesville, VA — Jefferson Theater*

          9/20 New York, NY — Webster Hall*

          9/21 Boston, MA — Big Night Live*

          9/23 Philadelphia, PA — Brooklyn Bowl*

          9/24 Washington D.C. — Lincoln Theatre*

          * with Jac Ross

          + with Nick Connors

          ~ supporting Chris Stapleton

Yola was incredible. There's no other way to put it. Her charisma on stage, outstanding vocal ability, and her catchy songwriting made for a great night of music, smiles, and dancing. Wishing her the best of luck with the upcoming Grammy Awards ceremony, she's more than earned it.