There’s something about a Saturday night show that just feels different and when Malcolm Todd hit The Van Buren stage on June 14, Phoenix felt it. This was the second-to-last stop on his tour (he’ll wrap things up in L.A. on June 18, following 3 shows), and there wasn’t a single empty spot in the room. It was packed, sweaty, and glowing with the kind of energy that only happens when you know you’re witnessing something special.

Malcolm and his band — childhood friends who’ve been touring together since May — didn’t waste a second easing in. They came ready. The moment the lights dropped, Malcolm opened with “Harry Styles,” and the crowd lost it. A perfect opener — vibey, infectious, and impossible not to move to. From there, he flowed into “Make Me a Better Man,” a track that always feels like it’s speaking directly to you (even in a crowd of thousands).

Then came the eruption: “Bleed” — his hit track featuring Omar Apollo. Right before launching into it, Malcolm asked the crowd, “We got any Omar fans in here?” And everyone — literally everyone — screamed like they were about to see Omar walk on stage. It was one of those electric, unanimous crowd moments that you remember days later. He gave us that soul, that bassline, and that kind of ache you want to dance through.

And speaking of dancing — yes, Malcolm gave us a little two-step here and there, and if you caught it in the right frame (guilty), it made you smile even harder. There’s something about seeing an artist actually enjoying themselves on stage — not just performing, but playing — that shifts the entire room. The whole band was right there with him too. Laughing between songs, hyping each other up, clearly having the time of their lives.

They were the perfect band to have on a Saturday night. The kind of performers that remind you why we gather for live music in the first place — to feel joy, to move, to sing with strangers, to be fully present. Malcolm Todd didn’t just give us a show. He gave us a night to crave. And I will be.

Phoenix was lucky. We got to catch them right before the curtain call, and they gave us everything — no holding back, no going-through-the-motions energy. It felt like summer. It felt like love. It felt like one last deep breath before a grand finale.