I can confidently say that I have been a fan of Chelsea Cutler and Jeremy Zucker since high school. The first time I heard Chelsea was when she sang with Quinn XCII in their song “Flare Guns.” I’m pretty sure that it was my #1 song on Spotify in 2020. Soon after, I started listening to more of her music and came across her collabs with Jeremy Zucker, and I fell in love with their voices together. Their song “you were good to me” helped me through too many heartbreaks to count. Jeremy’s song “scared” will forever be a highlight on my sad songs playlist.
When their newest album, “brent iii,” came out, I immediately sat down and listened to it from start to finish, dissecting each song for their deeper meanings. Each of their songs touches a different part of my heart—from the toothbrush song about Jeremy’s wife to the song “A-frame” about how they stayed in an A-frame on the lake in California to write music together. Their songs represent such soft, delicate love; you can’t help but feel loved like you’re sitting with them as you listen to them sing for you.
When the president of our chapter, Lulu Rector, brought up the opportunity to be in a press conference, I was ecstatic. To have the chance to speak to and hear from the two people I’d adored since I was a 16-year-old girl seemed unreal. I spent hours coming up with questions I had for them, ranging from Chelsea’s experience as a bisexual D3 athlete deciding to enter the music industry, to their inspiration for this album and how they were able to make it equally as beautiful and unique as their previous collabs. I was sitting in the Zoom waiting room on November 14th when I got the email that the press conference would be postponed, and I was devastated. I immediately filled out the form Her Campus gave to us to apply for concert tickets as a consolation, feeling pretty confident I wouldn’t get them. I was sitting in my living room on the 21st with my roommate Julia, eating lunch, when I got the email saying I was approved for two tickets to their concert that night. I was so in shock I just sat there with my jaw dropped. We quickly arranged to go to the city later that day for the concert.
We took the train to Grand Central and first went to the Bryant Park Winter Village to stuff our faces with warm food and hot chocolate. It was a very rainy evening, but that added to the serenity we felt on our way to the venue.
When we got to The Town Hall, I was shocked at the venue’s size. I had expected a much larger venue for Jeremy and Chelsea, but I loved how intimate it was. It was an older theater that sat maybe 1000 people, but it was perfect for the vibe Chelsea and Jeremy wanted that night. My friend Julia and I took our seats in the orchestra, and I was shocked at how close we were to the stage. I’m so grateful to Her Campus for being able to experience the concert that close.
The opener was an artist named Carol Ades. She sang while her girlfriend played the guitar in accompaniment. This was an excellent opportunity for her to get her name out there and have people hear her music and her newly released album. She had an amazing live voice, and the songs she performed were relatable yet unique. She set the perfect vibe for Chelsea and Jeremy.
The stage was designed to look like someone’s living room. There were couches, cushioned stools, side tables, a coffee table, and some antique table lamps that were the primary lighting throughout the concert. The rest of the musicians were seated on an elevated platform behind and around them. For almost all of the concert, Chelsea and Jeremy were playing while seated comfortably on the couch or stools or alternating behind the piano. One thing I appreciated about this setting was how it was as if Chelsea and Jeremy were just playing and singing with only each other. When there were solo songs featuring just Chelsea or Jeremy, the artist not singing would often sit on the couch and go on their phone or play guitar in the background. They said at the beginning of the concert that they purposely chose to play in such a small venue because it was as if they were just “playing with 1000 of their friends,” and it really did feel like that. Everyone in the audience sat for most of the concert since Jeremy and Chelsea were also seated. The only times we stood was when they told us to for their two more upbeat songs, “A-frame” and “better off,” and for their last song, “this is how you fall in love”.
The casual showmanship and instrumentation throughout the concert were beautifully unique and intimate. Chelsea and Jeremy were almost always playing instruments, whether guitars or alternating on the piano. Their band consisted of the usual drummer with a complete drum set, a guitar player, a bassist, and an electric keyboardist. Still, the best part was the string quartet containing two violins, a viola, and a cellist. The strings added so much depth to each song that was played and created a warm foundation in the theater. To add to the unique setting, Jeremy and Chelsea were dressed in casual, comfy clothes consisting of sweatshirts and jeans, unlike most artists dressed for the showmanship of their performances. To top it off, the lighting of the theater. As I already mentioned, the primary lighting was these antique table lamps, but various background lights always seemed to fit perfectly with the song’s vibes, whether there were bright pink spotlights or a warm background of yellow strip lights. All of this together created such a unique concert experience. It was so relaxed and welcoming, just as Jeremy said how it was meant to be.
The majority of their set list were songs from their new album “brent iii.” They played a lot of their slower songs from the album, including “ashes & rust”, “terrible things”, and “i miss you” where we sat and simply listened while they sat and played. They also threw in their few upbeat songs from the album, like “A-frame” and “just breathe,” which we stood and danced for.
However, my favorite songs from their setlist were those they played that I fell in love with many years ago when they started writing music together. I cried my eyes out listening to them perform “please” and “you were good to me”, the two songs that got me through my fair share of heartbreaks. Something I really loved about hearing Chelsea and Jeremy perform was how similar their live voices were to their recordings. If anything, they sounded ten times better, which was such a pleasant surprise. Often, artists will use a lot of auto-tune and effects to make their voices sound good in recording but then sound completely different live. Yet, hearing Jeremy and Chelsea live made me realize what amazing and gifted musicians they are.
Chelsea and Jeremy are so authentic in their connection with each other and their voices; it’s so refreshing to see two such talented artists clearly and genuinely enjoying themselves while performing. The connection between these two artists radiated throughout the room. From the minute they walked out onto the stage to the very last song, you could tell that they were really just playing for and with each other like we were sitting in on a jam session. I’ve been very fortunate to have gone to a lot of concerts in my life, but this concert was truly such a unique and beautiful experience. It was truly unlike any other concert I have been to. I am very thankful for Her Campus and being able to have this opportunity to experience such an amazing concert. If you haven’t heard their new album “brent iii” or any of their other music, do go and listen to Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler. Okay, I’m gonna go listen to their new album again and rewatch all the videos I took of the concert bye!