Drawing silent as Leon Bridges entered the stage, clad in a vintage yellow-checkered suit, the lucky few that were able to score a ticket to see Leon Bridges at Tipitina’s on Monday, October 12th were not disappointed. Bridges brought the house down and invited some local New Orleans favorites on stage for the encore of an incredible first-time performance at the esteemed venue.

@jham2125

Hailing from Fort Worth Texas, Bridges is a revolutionary singer-songwriter for our time. Known for his gospel and soul-inspired voice, Bridges’ live sound is identical to that of his record—an aspect that is genuine to his brand and often hard to come by in today’s world of popular music. His voice matches his beautifully written lyrics that evoke music of a different era. He has a way of inviting his listeners to reminisce on such times; at once audience members long for the days whence Sam Cooke and Otis Redding ruled the radio. At the same time Bridges’ emotes a modern day edge which attracts the likes of festival goers from the likes of Outside Lands, to Austin City Limits, and beyond.

@gotmal

One could have easily mistaken the interior of Tipitina’s for the polka dotted and red-lipped days of the 60s. A sold out room grooved to the popular “Smooth Sailin” and “Coming Home”, hits that have brought Leon Bridges to fame over this past year. It was “Lisa Sawyer”, however, that moved the crowd to tears as they watched Bridges dedicate the song to his mother, the Lisa Sawyer, who viewed his set from the balcony. “Better Man” was a crowd favorite–with not a single audience member standing still and Bridges himself twisting, swaying, and snapping his fingers to the beat.

@vitocorral

The crooner could not have chosen a better encore to close out the night. Inviting local musicians Khris Royal, Eric Benny Bloom, and his cousin Troy Sawyer to play “Mississippi Kisses” alongside him on stage, New Orleans fans were fortunate to enjoy a truly unique moment only possible in our town. From playing open mic gigs in Texas to performing several sold-out venues on his 2015 tour, Leon Bridges is showing us, without a shadow of a doubt, that this is only the beginning of his success.

– By Katie Freeman