Catching your favorite artist on the festival main stage amongst tens of thousands of other fans is fun and all, but nothing beats seeing your fave play a room that’s barely bigger than the size of your apartment. Concerts like these are called underplays, and the idea is to get major artists performing in venues much smaller than they normally play. In theory, the underplay is a great way for artists to connect with their fans on an intimate level, but recently they’ve become just another move in the pop-girl playbook.
Phoebe Bridgers kicked off the underplay craze this spring, when the “Motion Sickness” singer began playing last-minute pop-up shows in small venues around the country. The no-phones-allowed policy at the live shows helped preserve the spirit of the underplay — that is, until the concert series came to a rousing conclusion with a final show at Madison Square Garden, an arena that can seat up to 22,000 people.
Following Bridgers’ successful run of shows, we’ve seen an influx of underplays popping up around the world, almost as if pop stars are competing to see who can play the smallest venue. Charli xcx brought her forthcoming album Music, Fashion, Film to Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn (which has a capacity of 650) and Scala in London (capacity: 1,145) while Gracie Abrams debuted her new record Daughter From Hell at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom (capacity: 575) just a few days later. Ryan Beatty might have both of them beat, though, having just played his new album, Sweet Fortune, for the first time at Night Club 101 in the East Village in front of roughly 200 people. He’s also got another show at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever next week, where he’ll play to a room of about 150.
The latest artist in a line of underplay announcements is Role Model, who is scheduled to play a “secret” show at Chicago’s Thalia Hall on July 30 under his new Chuck Timely moniker. While the venue can hold up to 900 people (considerably large for an underplay) the famed opera house is a sizable step down for Mr. Timely who is booked to play venues like Radio City Music Hall on his upcoming tour this fall.
Considering everyone and their mother decided to drop an album this summer, it makes sense why we’ve seen so many artists following the same formula recently. Yes, the underplay is just another marketing tool to drum up excitement for new music, but it also creates lasting memories for a lucky few fans while reconnecting top-tier talent to spaces that they’ve outgrown or have never had the chance to play. It’s a win-win for everyone — minus the fans who aren’t able to get tickets.
