Jason Schmidt Spreads His Wings in Philly
4.12.26 - Philadelphia, PA
Fresh off his broadway track, Jason Schmidt brings his Butterfly Tour to The Foundry, housed upstairs in the legendary Fillmore Philadelphia. Fans lined down the sidewalk, outfits handpicked and energy rising, buzzing with excitement about seeing their favorite artist perform live in an intimate but beloved space.
The first to open the show was Nuala Cleary, stylized as Nuala, a New York native who brought her soulful energy with a band of only three people- herself, a drummer, a keyboard player and a guitarist. With only two released songs, she was able to fill her setlist with some unreleased music, giving the audience a peek into what’s next for her. Coming from a background in cinema and acting, Nuala used her heartfelt storytelling with the genre-combining sound she has created to reach the audience. She prepped the audience for the night ahead, setting the tone with her first release, “Pity Party”, inviting the audience to an intimate and deep space that would create a feeling to stay with them as time went on.
Next up was Kennedy Mann, a creative force that isn’t meant to be messed with. She began posting demos on TikTok that quickly grew her an audience made up of dreampop, hyperpop and alternative rock fans. Mann brought a very down to earth, human energy, joking that she was nervous and moving her tuner so it would be closer to her boots, which seemed to lighten up the room just a little. She played a few more songs than Nuala- her list of released songs slightly longer than the latter’s. In between originals, she stuck in a cover of a song by The Sundays, which fans quickly caught onto the vibe of. Her bright energy and creative way with words seemed to boost the crowd’s spirit as they danced and swayed with her.
The lights dimmed, a Bob Marley track playing as the crowd waited in anticipation for Schmidt to emerge. Whispers down the barricade circulated, fans predicting what songs he would play, in what order, and what hopes they had for the night. A droning sound began to play, signaling it was just about go time, and the crowd lulled, waiting.
Schmidt’s 2023 track, “Hey Hailey” kicked off the night, with the guitar leading him in as he followed his band onto the stage. Once he stepped up to the mic, the crowd went wild. Nuala joined him on the second mic, supporting backing vocals for the night. From this opening moment, Schmidt commanded the room with a confident air and magnetic stage presence. As the song finished, Schmidt stood with a hand over his heart, visibly taking in the energy. He introduced his next track, “My Stoner Girlfriend”, and jumped right into it, slowing down from the previous song.
As Schmidt’s set continued, the energy remained at an all-time high, the crowd dancing along, swaying, and shouting little callouts to him and the band. Just about each song was preluded with a story, and when Schmidt moved to the keyboard towards the back of the stage, his true use of connecting the crowd to his storytelling emerged.An unreleased song, “Odyssey” was Schmidt’s emotional bridge, singing about a relationship that tied to souls together but did not end up seeing it through. Schmidt got a little emotional, receptive to how the crowd processed the song.
Once Schmidt followed his path back to the front microphone, he picked up his guitar and invited Nuala back to the stage. As songwriter collaborating friends from college, Schmidt explained, it was extremely special to have Nuala performing with him and providing her that platform to air her creative ways. The two performed a duet, “Halfway There”, which was a beautiful commentary on the process of falling in love. Following this heartfelt moment, Schmidt moved into a more sentimental side of his music, performing “Growing Up” and “7 Stars”, which both are a comment on how quickly time moves, and how the people around you can be extremely important and grounding. Friends in the crowd hugged, tears fell down cheeks, and the empathetic air hung in the room with a sense of community and understanding.
“Soundcheck”, a new unreleased song was the next to follow, a message that rang true to the crowd- being involved in the arts, and missing the people that were involved with you. In a similar air, “Butterfly” held the message of keeping inspiration and finding that light in something that may surround you, and holding true to yourself and your passion. Accompanied by a slide guitar, the stylistic choice was a perfect fit to the song’s message, and the crowd let the waves wash over them as blue papers were held in front of their cameras- a fan project created for the night.
As the show neared its end, Schmidt began to fake cry dramatically, telling fans he’s always wanted a selfie with the crowd. With a swift move, he pulled his phone out and turned his back to the crowd, fans squeezing in together to assure they made it in the frame. Schmidt began to video record, turning so the entire crowd could be seen, engaging all of his fans no matter where they stood in the venue.
With the energy back on the rise once more, Schmidt began “My Ego Loves You”, which the crowd definitely loved as much as Schmidt’s ego does. The fun track held onto the peak energy, crowd dancing with their friends and cheering as Schmidt moved around the stage and sang to them, pointing and throwing his arms wide. Finishing off the night with “Gold Man”, Schmidt and his band went wild. The drum hits were louder, the bass was sharper, and the guitar followed every move. This powerful closer left no doubt to Schmidt’s range as a performer, pulling out all the stops to make it the biggest and best song of the night. The barricade shook as fans expressed their excitement, letting out their last bit of energy for the night as Schmidt performed runs and an extended amount of falsetto. As the song concluded, accompanied by cheers, the band exited the stage, leaving their instruments as memories.
After a brief blackout, Schmidt ran back to the stage solo, making his way back to his trusty microphone. The collective knew the show wasn’t over, there was no encore, and there was always an encore. As Schmidt explained his plan for the last song, a fan called out that it was their birthday, to which Schmidt engaged the crowd in a venue-wide rendition of “Happy Birthday”. Moving onto the final song, “Little Blue World” was a moving acoustic piece about the beauty of nature and the art of appreciating what is right in front of you. Jason Schmidt brought an electric presence to Philadelphia, a night that long term fans and even new ones will never forget.
