Yebba reminds sold out Metro crowd that the voice is an instrument… use it!

Yebba reminds sold out Metro crowd that the voice is an instrument… use it!

Review by: Kat Williams – Yebba photo by Charles Myers

It’s a Tuesday night in Chicago. An hour earlier, the area was packed with Chicagoans and suburbanites in jerseys and jean shorts heading into Wrigley Field. Traffic barricades are still up, with dozens of security staff in high-visibility vests yelling at Tesla drivers who attempt to drive straight despite all signs commanding “turn right!” The Cubs vs. Brewers showdown delayed CTA, rerouted traffic, and bumped my search for parking from Medium to Expert difficulty mode.

 

But a few blocks north of the excitement at Wrigley Field, a different vibe is coming to life amongst a crowd assembling to catch Yebba’s second sold-out night at Metro.

 

The Grammy-winning vocalist and songwriter is currently on tour promoting her second studio album, Jean, released in March 2026. The world fell in love with Yebba nearly 10 years ago with vulnerable vocal masterpieces “Evergreen” and “My Mind.” Five years ago, Yebba’s debut album Dawn solidified her as a generational talent with a rare ability to turn grief and growth into sounds that simultaneously tighten your chest and invite you to sing along. Regarding Jean, Yebba wants you to know that she and her sound have evolved since she introduced herself a decade ago.

 

Opening the show is Astyn Turr, entrancing the crowd with her captivating voice and charming presence. In between sweet songs Astyn describes as “lullabies,” she keeps the energy up with playful banter. Her unaccompanied set is a mix of original songs and covers that she makes her own through her vocal performance. If Olympic Track & Field categories ever expand “running” to include vocal riffs, Astyn Turr is taking a medal.

 

The stage lights go down after the changeover, and an ensemble takes their place: James Francies at the keys, Charles Myers on guitar, Boom Bishop on bass, Blaque Dynamite on drums, and supporting vocalists Anilee List, Jermarcus Riggins, and Astyn Turr.

 

Still in the dark, Myers lays down an eerie chord progression that grows into “Far Away.” Yebba takes the stage in a baseball cap as a deep red light washes over her and the band. The supporting vocalists come in, and the crowd follows. Yebba holds her mic away from her face, firmly establishing that she is sharing the spotlight with her band and everyone in the crowd tonight.

 

But don’t confuse sharing the spotlight with sharing command of the show. Yebba hits her vape and takes over with “Boomerang,” reminding us that we’re all invited to sing along, but there are some things only she can do. She leads the sold-out crowd through the melody of the first verse and chorus. Then she runs up and down her vocal range while the audience holds it down on the melody and supporting vocalists hit tight harmonies.

The dynamics shift again with “Stand,” which she lets the crowd sing along with. She and the supporting vocalists harmonize with the audience through the song while Dynamite and Bishop set the pace for the room. Yebba reaches into the crowd, and they reach back. Now this is a party. The band transitions “Stand” into a brief cover of Ceelo Green’s “Crazy,” bringing with it a hip-swaying groove that blends seamlessly into “Louie Bag.” Everyone is singing along. Someone passes a giant bouquet of roses through the crowd and over the photo pit into Yebba’s hands. She keeps the playful energy going through “Distance.” She’s beaming as she listens to the crowd sing along with her.

 

She is surprisingly soft-spoken when she says “hello” to the Chicago crowd. She shouts out Chance the Rapper, who helped launch her to stardom when she joined him for a musical guest performance on Saturday Night Live in 2016.

Now, the set list moves into songs from her new album Jean. She slows things down with “Yellow Eyes,” driven by tight harmonies from the supporting vocals. “West Memphis” carries a gentle twinkle across the room, setting the audience up for “Forgiveness.” Yebba uses her voice to wrap the crowd in cozy lyrics while Francies leads with comfort and strength oozing from the keys.

Yebba has employed an array of vocal effects to layer and warp her voice throughout the set, but “Delicate Roots” is where she really pivots from using her voice in the traditional melody-and-harmony style and starts treating it like an instrument on stage. The supporting vocalists harmonize, building a raw and intimate sound over heavy, rolling drums. The song bounces and builds into Yebba crying out, belting on top of a “woah” here and an “ooh” there.

 

“For this next one,” Yebba calls out to the crowd, “If you have a vape… Can you hit it for me?”

The room bounces through “Of Course,” and several strobing and shining green lights create a collage on stage. Yebba listens and watches, giving Dynamite space to flex on the drums while she commands the groove into something heavier and dirtier. Even as it devolves into delicious chaos, the song orbits around layers of rippling vocals.

The distortion continues as Yebba closes the set with “Earth, Wind, and California.” Breezy vocals sit atop heavy acoustic guitar and drums. She waves to the people on the balcony. Texture, harmony, and pounding percussion take over in a controlled devolution. She listens closely and hops back in with a belt and runs over the jam. Then the instruments cut out, and Yebba, List, Riggins, and Turr wrap everything up with one more brain-tickling harmony.

 

Applause rips through the room. Before the cheering even begins to subside, Yebba grabs the microphone again and says, “We’re just gonna do the encore, because y’all have been amazing.” She mumbles the opening line of “Evergreen,” and the audience goes wild again. The room sings together one last time before Yebba walks off stage with her bouquet of roses and the band plays us to a satisfying conclusion.

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Tour Dates:

NORTH AMERICA

4/27 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf

5/1 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom

5/3 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos

5/4 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom

5/7 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore

5/10 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park

5/11 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory

5/14 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall

5/17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater

5/19 – Chicago, IL @ Metro

5/21 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre

5/23 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall

5/24 – Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Beanfield

5/26 – Boston, MA @ Royale

5/29 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza

6/2 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer

6/4 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

6/7 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl

6/8 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre

6/11 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues

6/13 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall

6/14 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin

6/17 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues Dallas

EUROPE

8/25 – Manchester, UK @ New Century

8/26 – London, UK @ Koko

8/28 – London, UK @ All Points East

9/1 – Cologne, GE @ Carlswerk Victoria

9/2 – Berlin, GE @ Huxleys

9/4 – Paris, FR @ La Trianon

9/5 – Brussels, BE @ AB Ballroom

9/7 – Copenhagen, DE @ Vega

Links:

Official: https://www.yebbasmith.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yebbasmith