Stephen Sanchez Transports D.C. Back In Time

Two Sold Out Nights At D.C.’s 9:30 Club

Date: December 7th, 2023

Venue: 9:30 Club

Washington, DC

Stephen Sanchez 

Want to hop in a time machine and take a trip back to the 1950s? Well, 21-year-old Stephen Sanchez (The Troubadour) will take the wheel, smash the pedal, and transport you back in time through the lens and storytelling of the Angel Face tour. The tour is created and based around Sanchez’s debut and concept album ‘Angel Face’ which draws much inspiration and feels like a perfect fit for music from the 50s. 

Sanchez has, with ease, found a way to reignite interest and desire for a sound reflective of decades ago but for a brand new generation. That’s proven by his exponential growth of followers and daily streams but made even more clear by his strings of sold-out shows. Specifically, when visiting D.C. on this tour his demand was so high it brought two back-to-back sold-out shows at the 9:30 Club.

From the moment the lights faded a radio tuned us into the show we were about to experience as Sanchez appeared on stage dressed in a brown leather jacket. Unlike many artists that start their show with a bang, he began with a stripped-back immersion into his world with “Something About Her”. 

The incredible thing about this show was the originality, while the production wasn’t extravagant it played true to staging found in the 1950s but the performance, the energy, and the talent absolutely blew me away. As someone who has a love for the oldies and has seen Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ countless times it felt as though this was the closest I could get to actually knowing what a show during that time period felt like. His blend of energy and vocals drew inspiration from not only Elvis but the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. 

Throughout his entire set, the songs were strung together through a storyline he would explain about a love story between The Troubadour Sanchez and “Evangeline”. Perhaps the most memorable moment came with the performance of “High” which brought the energy through the ceiling while showcasing his vocal range. Following that was “Shake” which proved he had not only a voice from the 50s but the moves to match. 

Before the evening came to a close he treated us to a captivating and magical cover of Hy Zaret and Alex North’s “Unchained Melody”. A song that includes the line “time goes by so slowly” and in that moment it felt like time stopped as his performance was completely mesmerizing. 

To end his set he took us to where it all began for him with one of his early singles and a story element of the show with “Until I Found You”. It was truly an evening of disconnect from the outside world, all led by incredible music and storytelling not commonly found in today’s industry. The tour continues in the States for the remainder of 2023 before traveling overseas at the beginning of 2024.

Stephen Day

Joining Stephen Sanchez on this tour was a fellow Stephen… Stephen Day. Not only an occasional songwriting partner of Sanchez but an individual artist of his own accord. His infectious smile and positivity resonated throughout the room as soon as he took the stage. 

He introduced himself and encouraged the audience to repeat after him in saying “Hey Stephen Day” as that is also his social handle @HeyStephenDay. He then treated us to some songs both new and old. The newest is his single “4321” which creates a playful way to mix counting and songwriting and instantly feels like a hit. 

In addition, he treated us to another newer single which created a moment of just feel-good groove and move sway moments to the sounds of “Kinda Cowgirl”.

See the Full Gallery of the Night Here!

If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.