REVIEW: Blood Orange Takes Fans to New Worlds at a Sold-Out Night at The Tabernacle
- Mikey Smith
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Dev Hynes' beloved musical project proves itself to stand the test of time for a stellar live show
On the last night of his North American tour for 2025’s Essex Honey, Dev Hynes performed a sold-out show as Blood Orange at one of Atlanta’s most beloved venues, The Tabernacle. Through incredible visuals, dynamic vocals, and strong performances, this live show resonated as deeply as Hynes and co.’s lyrics and instrumentals do.
Starting the night off, Tariq Al-Sabir performed a solo set before his time later as a member of Blood Orange’s live band. Al-Sabir’s minimalist yet effective live setup made him easily connect with the audience. His stage presence set the tone for the evening well, giving fans music to feel themselves in and understand more about the artist in front of them. A particular highlight of the set was, of course, a cameo from Dev Hynes himself, playing guitar during Al-Sabir’s final song.
Shortly after, Denmark’s own TLF Trio made their way to the stage for a beautiful, instrumental set. Akin to many of the sounds heard on Essex Honey, the trio focused on luscious strings and encapsulating keys in their performance. Each member had their own moment to shine from song-to-song. The music was easy to journey into while listening, something that the best work of each of the other acts also excel in.
Blood Orange finally started their set with a bang: a remarkable live performance of “I Wanna C U.” After this groove ended, the screen behind Dev Hynes lit up with camcorder-style footage of each and every moment of the show. The video style switched throughout the night between feeling like the audience was on stage with the band, and an extensive, third-person view that placed fans in a dream-like connection with Hynes and friends.
Speaking of the live band, co-vocalists Eva Tolkin and Ian Isiah were particularly strong in this show. To call them backup vocalists would be insulting to how much they contribute and matter to this experience. Their harmonies with Hynes and each of their performances where they took the lead captured the attention of fans in attendance.
This leg of the tour also brought back some fan favorites to the setlist for the first time in over a decade, particularly “Bad Girls” and “Uncle ACE.” The latter was a shining moment of the night, especially for fans who came in Challengers-themed gear (the acclaimed 2024 film which the song was featured in).
The songs from Essex Honey sound wonderful on the record, but in a live setting, they are enhanced tenfold. We see the beauty ooze out of tracks like “Thinking Clean” and “Countryside,” but the highlight of the night had to be “Mind Loaded.” The fans and I, anticipating the breakdown towards the end of the track, were blown away by how Hynes and his band translated it into the live version.
In the end, the audience didn’t want Blood Orange to stop running through their catalogue of incredible song after incredible song. Trust me, I had a few more favorites which I would've loved to have heard live from their discography. Regardless, myself and many others felt reborn from this performance; the kind of show that reminds you why music is meant to be heard live. Building a cleansing experience of musical reinvention for the listeners, Dev Hynes is a generational talent whose songwriting and showmanship should not go unrewarded.
If you missed Blood Orange’s Tabernacle show, I implore you to catch their performance at ATL's Shaky Knees this September. Trust me, you will not want to miss it.
Article and photos by Mikey Smith. Please credit @mts2.photo or @art.seen.atl if reposting on social media.