Wonderful Show!
by KJ on 4/5/229:30 CLUB - WashingtonRating: 5 out of 5The show was phenomenal! I've seen Moonchild perform in the past, but THIS show was THE best! I'll be seeing them perform, again.

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Moonchild in Concert
With the Los Angeles trio's richly textured blend of jazz, soul, hip-hop, and electronic music, Moonchild occupies its own special galaxy of sound. It's fitting that the group's members — multi-instrumentalists Amber Navran, Andris Mattson, and Max Bryk — started Moonchild not long after spending a night of stargazing together on the West Coast. The music they've made since 2011 demonstrates both their love of exploration and a suitably spacy sort of effervescence, one that suggests the usual laws of gravity do not apply.
Moonchild's three members first forged a musical bond while they were all students in the University of Southern California's jazz performance program. The band was born when they were touring as a horn and woodwind trio — they tried writing original music together not long after that first starry night. The first song they created — "Be Free" — pointed the way forward with its seemingly effortless integration of musical styles, variously evoking ‘60s spiritual jazz and ‘90s acid jazz as well as neo-soul greats like Erykah Badu and D'Angelo. "Be Free" also became the title track for Moonchild's debut album in 2012, which extended the song's casual feel across a similarly gorgeous array of shimmering keys, sunbursts of horns, and Navran's dreamy, sultry vocals.
Many influential stars and tastemakers were quick to take notice. Among the collaborators and tourmates they soon attracted were Jill Scott, India.Arie, Leela James, and The Internet. And Laura Mvula, 9th Wonder, and Tyler, The Creator have all expressed their love of Moonchild, too. The trio's profile in the U.K. got a big boost thanks to endorsements from Jamie Cullum and Gilles Peterson; the acid-jazz pioneer and DJ included the band's 2014 single "The Truth" in his influential Bubblers series. Perhaps the greatest compliment of all was landing a prime slot performing at Stevie Wonder's annual House Full of Toys charity event in 2012 after the singer heard them on Los Angeles station KJLH and liked what he heard.
Released in 2017 after signing to the British label Tru Thoughts, Moonchild's second album ‘Voyager' sees a further refinement of their blend of neo-soul and new jazz. Future travels are bound to be just as smooth.
The show was phenomenal! I've seen Moonchild perform in the past, but THIS show was THE best! I'll be seeing them perform, again.
I went to see Moonchild concert this past Saturday and loved every moment of it! However I think that the way that people were allowed to move around, especially when only people who paid extra could sit down was very uncomfortable. There was no one to regulate the space on the balcony, everybody was just allowed to stand where ever even if it was in the walk way. There were even people allowed to stand in the seated sections. I don’t recall it being that way pre-pandemic. Other than that, I can’t wait for my next favorite artist to come through!
Moonchild was absolutely insane! Amazing experience. Austin Antoine was a great starter. But I didn’t like (and I think the general audience would agree with me) the interview. I know it’s important and that it’s a great cause but I don’t think this was the appropriate setting for it. Kind of a mood killer.
This was the best concert I've ever been to. The musicians are so talented. They made the crowd elevate into a higher dimension.
Saw Moonchild at the 9:30 club in DC. After a very talented opening act, a full blown interview was conducted on stage. Talk about blowing my high! Then Amber's mic was super low until halfway through the set. Overall, it was ok but the interview has got to go!
I enjoyed the show, especially the meet and greet and the lounge area that allowed us to escape from the crowd. It was a cold day and we were waiting for longer than expected. I loved that the band used their platform to uplift black people and a mental health org for black women. There were a lot of moments of great solidarity. The music was a great and I thought Amber’s mic could have been louder, but we were also in a nosy section standing in the back. I do hope we get out kaleidoscopes!
Seeing Moonchild in a smaller venue like the 9:30 Club really enhanced the experience. It was truly amazing
My wife and I had the pleasure of seeing Moonchild at the 9:30 Club in DC on Friday/1 Apr. They were absolutely amazing! We were able to do the meet & greet beforehand and they didn’t disappoint. They were truly humble and genuinely appreciative of their fans. The performance piece was almost flawless. The only thing that could have made it better was no fault of their own. Ambers mic was just about at the level of the music which over powered her melodic/angelic voice. Other than that, the performance was seamless and technically perfect. They ran through all of their albums and hit us with hit after hit after underground favorites. We highly recommend the show and will attend again if the chance arises. Our favorites in no particular order: Money, The Other Side, Tell Him, Change Your Mind, You Got One, The List….Bottomline, OUTSTANDING show. 4.5 Stars (9:30 club owes Moonchild their .5 Star).
Terrible they took two hours to start performing and the sound quality was awful. I had a better experience on YouTube.
Been wanting to see this group for YEARS and let me tell ya, they were worth the wait! Sound was amazing, performers before them were dope, and I just LOVED the whole set. If they were anywhere near me again I'd go and see them in a heartbeat!
amazing! they are so great and talented. seeing them again on this same tour. can't wait.
I want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself for this show. It started later than expected but I love everything. The people the ambiance was excellent
They did their thing the energy in the room was phenomenal!
This was my first time seeing Moonchild in person and they did not disappoint! I love this group and it was even better seeing them live! I’m ready to see them again! Amazing show!
My 1st time at 9:30…I’m an old head so please make it clear how to reserve a seat…I loved the performance by Moonchild….
I was not able to get into the show The line was completely wrapped around two buildings It was already around 10:30 pm Me and my girlfriend visited from Chesapeake Virginia to come to the show and she was disappointed things didn’t go as planned because of had to work at 6 am and the drive back home alone was 4 hours.
...or so I thought, and man was I wrong! The show in DC was sold out, so that's already an indication. But when we arrived to go in (30 minutes after start time) and the line was wrapped around 2 blocks, I was like damn, the cat's outta the bag! I've been to a couple Moonchild shows already, so the audience are true fans - they know every song, all the lyrics, and vibes with the group from start to finish. I am so happy and proud of Moonchild, that their fanbase continues to grow! They write and produce some of the absolute best music out today. Kudos to the sound engineer at the 9:30 Club - first 2 songs Amber couldn't be heard over the band at all. This has been a problem other times I've seen them. 3rd song they got her mic up over the music and it was a beautiful thing. Again just consistently great music and another wonderful performance.
Seeing Moonchild is whole experience! They had a local opening act, AND someone from the community. I’ve never seen an concert with an interview in the middle, it was great. And Moonchild as the main event did not disappoint!!! They performed for almost 2 hours, performed all their classics and many new ones too. I knew they were gonna be phenomenal, but this exceeded my expectations. I can’t wait to see them again
Moonchild was fantastic, as always. Loved their energy from start to finish. I can see why the venue is next to Boston University. It definitely feels like a college place. It's all general admission/standing room. It was fun to be able to dance and not be restricted to a seat but man... as a short (5'2") person, it's hard to see anything! Get there early I guess and snag the upper balcony or first row at the stage.
I had the privilege of seeing this talented trio and their opening act last night. I was blown away. What a vibe! Unlike another review I, as well as the entire crowd, did appreciate learning about local organizations doing incredible work in the community. The call to act speech the leader singer gave later in the show was also well received and much appreciated. The music took us all on an amazing journey. It was clear we were all true fans as the venue was packed with patrons singing along to every word. The feeling was so surreal and we could thank our conductors, Moonchild for that. The VIP package was indeed well worth it. I also had the rare opportunity to witness the group's parents in attendance beaming with immense pride and vibin with the rest of the crowd. One of the Mom's was so enthusiastic she unknowingly blocked the ADA (seated) section as she stood up singing along, lol. Who could blame her? After the show I was able to congratulate and thank their parents for the absolute joy their children bring to this world and the impact they are making with their platform. I look forward to seeing them perform live again in the future.