REVIEW: Del Water Gap: Live at Buckhead Theatre - ATL
- Noah De Los Rios
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
The artist lands in Atlanta for his final US tour stop of the "Chasing the Chimera" tour
Holden Jaffe, born and raised in New York City, transforms into his stage persona Del Water Gap the second he steps onto a stage with thousands of fans waiting for him. The project has grown tremendously over the years, but the heart of it still feels raw and personal.
The name “Del Water Gap” was originally a band that also included grammy winner Maggie Rogers. Formed in 2012-2013, it started as a bedroom recording project that later became a band in New York City. Founding leader Holden Jaffe created it as a side mission while going to NYU. What began as something small and experimental has evolved into a fully-realized live experience that commands any room beyond his bedroom.
His "Chasing the Chimera" tour consisted of songs from his albums, Del Water Gap, I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left, and his newest album, Chasing the Chimera. With songs from every album, it almost resembles a farewell tour, but trust me when I say Del Water Gap is not going anywhere! If anything, this is just a start of his overall success!
At the show, you could feel that growth immediately. The venue was packed wall to wall with fans screaming lyrics when the chorus hit. When the opening interlude started out, the crowd erupted. Every lyric feels lived in. Every note feels intentional. Every person has the same desire to be there for him.
Truthfully, he could easily be playing much bigger rooms, but there’s something powerful about seeing him in a more intimate venue. It creates this electric connection between him and the audience that feels almost rare these days. You’re not just watching a performer, you’re experiencing someone pouring everything out in real time.
The way he electrifies the stage is something you don’t see often. He moves constantly, jumping, spinning, running from one side of the stage to the other but never losing vocal control. At one point, he went into the crowd and did what the fans call a “Perfume Pit.” During the song “Perfume” we got into the crowd, squatted down, and danced with the fans into the very last chorus! I was near the back, and you could feel the energy radiating across the whole crowd! The presence between him and the crowd was perfectly synchronized. It was the most alive I’ve ever seen a room feel.
What stands out the most is that he doesn’t perform like someone chasing fame or chasing the Chimera; he performs like someone who genuinely loves music—like someone who remembers what it felt like recording in a bedroom years ago and still carries that same passion onto bigger stages.
His connection with fans exceeded my expectations of an artist at his level. It wasn’t distant. It wasn’t filtered. It was real. And in a time where so much feels manufactured, experiencing that kind of authenticity live is something I won’t forget anytime soon.
Article and photos by Noah De Los Rios. Please credit @noahgotaphotopass or @art.seen.atl if reposting on social media.
