A lot has changed since Alec Chambers’ early shows in New York. Back in 2017, he played a short set on Stage 1 of Rockwood Music Hall, a smaller room meant for artists to cut their teeth in front of a New York crowd. Two years later, fresh off a viral cover of Halsey’s “Without Me,” he headlined The Mercury Lounge, an impressive feat considering the long list of big names that got their feet wet there at the start of their touring careers. A year later, he returned to Mercury as the opening act for singer/songwriter Billy Raffoul, who acknowledged that Chambers was well past opening act slots, but that he appreciated the favor. Then, COVID hit.
While the pandemic may have kept Chambers from playing shows, he kept plenty busy, continuing to build his online presence with sad-boy piano covers of popular songs, appearing on the online show “Song House Live” with a plethora of other music influencers, and releasing the emotional “Dark Can Be Beautiful” while on the show. Now, with a new song called “Ed Sheeran’s A Dick” on the way, Chambers moved over to Stage 2 of Rockwood to celebrate the new track and reconnect with a live audience for the first time in over two years.
On what was, truly, a scorching hot day in New York City, cool drinks and live music was exactly what the crowd needed to take the edge off. The crowd consisted of a lot of familiar faces from Chambers’ previous shows… family from CT, local musicians, and fans who have shown up for Chambers from the beginning. It was a joyous atmosphere that saw most concert-goers laughing, drinking, and taking selfies during opening act Killy Idol’s short punk-rock tinged set.
Chambers hopped on stage, diving into early hit and fan favorite “Boston,” then immediately into “Dark Can Be Beautiful.” He appeared a bit shell-shocked to be playing it live, probably for the first time, as many fans have expressed their adoration for the track, even getting tattoos of lyrics from the song and sharing pictures of the finished product to social media.
Chambers, who appears suave and confident on social media when posing at industry events or teasing his playful new Ed Sheeran “diss” track, is much more grounded and inward in real life. He seems to battle anxiety, and most definitely battles a stutter (something he shares with yours truly, a similarity we have confided in each other over) that occasionally halts him in the middle of a phrase, causing him to have to double back and find a new path to finish his thought. Small, fleeting moments that some may not even pick up on but, even so, the crowd remained mostly silent while he spoke, almost like a sign of respect or patience. However, once Chambers starts to sing, as is common for those with speech issues, it all fades away. He looked comfortable, at home even, as the set moved into original love tune “Serendipity” and a sweet cover of “Blackbird” by The Beatles. He, of course, played his infamous “Without Me” cover on the piano, his raspy tenor vocals cutting through like a knife.
He’d close with the debut performance of “Ed Sheeran’s A Dick” and a moving performance of power ballad “Medicine,” his best vocal of the night. To say he has come far is an understatement, and it seemed like this show was all about getting rid of the post-COVID jitters. With “Ed Sheeran’s A Dick” now available on streaming platforms, the new song “Madame” with 22Bullets out now, and other projects on the way, Chambers is on course to make 2022 his best year yet.
You can listen to “Boston,” “Dark Can Be Beautiful,” and more here:
Follow Alec Chambers on social media here:
Leave a Reply