Yungblud, The Regrettes, Games We Play – Pier 17, NYC 7/14/23

I had the pleasure of meeting Yungblud on July 14, the week of his 2018 debut album release – five years later, I had the opportunity to photograph his concert.

Photos and Review by Emily McCormack

The Rooftop at Pier 17, New York City– Yungblud’s album 21st Century Liability released just a week before Warped Tour made a stop in Holmdel, NJ in 2018. I knew the album well by then, and was so ecstatic to not only see him perform, but have the chance to meet him at his merch booth. I could tell very quickly that he is not only an incredibly talented and appreciative musician, he is, above all, a genuine human being.

Since then, I haven’t missed a local Yungblud show – I have followed him to a handful of New York City venues, which landed me at the Rooftop at Pier 17 for the second time this summer.

As a faithful fan, it was safe to assume this show would be outstanding as always. I was particularly excited to hear newer songs that he’s released since I last saw him pre-pandemic, including two tracks that I love playing on WMSC, “The Funeral” and “Tissues.”

Right off the bat, Yungblud surprised longtime fans by honoring the five year anniversary of his debut album, 21st Century Liability, and opened his show with the title track. While this album jump started his career, he has released so much music since 2018. It was seriously the perfect song choice and extremely special since it was the anniversary of my very first Yungblud concert!

Yungblud took part in what seems to be a setlist trend. He performed a song that isn’t played each night, but rather a song randomly chosen the evening of the performance. For this particular tour, he has a fan join him on stage and offers two song options… but on this night, there were three! The choices given were “Doctor Doctor,” “Die For The Hype,” and “Medication,” all songs from the first album. While my personal favorite “Doctor Doctor” wasn’t chosen, he did sing “Medication,” which is also iconic and incredible to hear again! I feel like it wouldn’t be a Yungblud show if it wasn’t performed!

His encore included his latest single “Lowlife,” featuring some pretty epic visuals displayed on a screen behind the artist, alongside graphics from the official lyric video. Then to round out the night, Yungblud chose “Loner” to end his set, which took me a bit by surprise. This song isn’t on any of his official albums, but was the first single post-21st Century Liability in 2019, thus making it his first song release taking in the new wave of fans.

Opening bands can often be hit or miss, but Yungblud always seems to get it right. I have seen fantastic bands such as MISSIO, Palaye Royale and Saint Phnx open, and both Games We Play and The Regrettes lived up to this standard.

Games We Play has a fantastic energy about him that made me feel like I was really part of something. Like, I wasn’t just watching a band do their thing, they truly appreciated the shared space between the stage and the audience. It felt like we were all just human beings existing in the moment, the only difference was some people actually knew how to play instruments! One standout song that I would highly recommend is “Get A Job,” as I found myself repeatedly humming it the following day. Games We Play would actually leave the Yungblud tour shortly after this show, and join select dates on the Fall Out Boy “So Much For (2our) Dust,” tour that I was fortunate enough to attend. It was cool to catch their set a second time, with another audience and I’m looking forward to his upcoming 2023 album, Life’s Going Great. 

I hope The Regrettes wouldn’t be offended if I called them the most adorable band, but that doesn’t mean I would mess with them! I would, however, love to give them a respectful hug to thank them for such a fantastic performance. I was particularly excited to hear their song “Monday” live, as their lyric “An existential crisis and it’s only a Monday” is a common household quote (even when it isn’t a Monday)! Their vibe made me smile, they made the audience smile and I felt fortunate to have seen them and all of their cuteness live. I would certainly love to catch The Regrettes’ set again someday soon!

It was such a pleasure having the opportunity to cover this phenomenal show on behalf of 90.3 WMSC-FM. From my very first encounter with the man in pink to this incredible night. I am forever grateful for the chance to photograph one of my favorite artists, and I will officially designate July 14th Yungblud Day!

See below for more photos from the night!