WILLIAM WILD AT WORLD CAFE LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA

With the state that the world is currently in, it’s quite easy to panic. The music industry was abruptly turned upside down in the midst of COVID-19, and it left many without jobs. Tours were cancelled and postponed. Amongst these tours was City of the Sun’s, with Tennessee based artist William Wild (moniker for Garrett Sale). Even through all the bad news, the night was still a good one and it allowed many to shift their focus, even if only for a couple hours.

William Wild took the stage at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia for an intimate show. The room is really nice, allowing patrons to sit at tables or the bar to enjoy food and drinks while watching the artists perform. The turnout was pretty good considering most people starting preparing for, and practicing, social distancing. When he got up to the microphone, he made a joke to let the crowd know it would be their first and last night of the tour, with the other shows being cancelled/rescheduled due to the virus.

Throughout the set, knowing it would be the only show certainly didn’t stop William Wild and his band from giving it their all. They did drive all the way up from Tennessee, after all. The vibe in the room was relaxed and for the duration of his set, the outside world felt like it melted away. Everyone got lost in the calming music. Garrett’s voice has a really beautiful tone, carrying the melody of his guitar to a whole other level. It was hard not to be hypnotized by the sound. You could almost hear a pin drop for how quiet the audience was. His stage presence when he interacted with the crowd was genuine, and while interactions were kept to a minimum, they were meaningful and enjoyable. He liked to joke with the crowd every so often to try to keep spirits up. At one point before playing, he mentioned that the song was going to be perfected by the third show of the tour, but here they were. It gave the audience a good chuckle.

Once everything settles and life returns to normal, make sure to keep an eye out for William Wild’s new tour dates. I like to think of Philadelphia as a nice little preview to what will be a great tour. While waiting, make sure to support artists however you can; share their music on social media, pick up merch, etc. William Wild will be releasing his upcoming album Push Ups through Sony Music Masterworks on March 20th.  Until then, you can jam to his latest single “Holy Ghost (where did my life go?)” on Spotify.