Originally advertised as a multidimensional experience, ‘The Goodnight Dreamer Live Show’ at the House of Vans a few weeks back saw Dreamer Isioma & the Celestials unequivocally delivering on all fronts. A promise of a full performance of their debut album ‘Goodnight Dreamer’ in its entirety for the first time left us at PoD anticipating an atypical, yet exciting performance from the rising Chicago star. Everyone that pulled up was met with just that, and we enjoyed every second of it.
The show began with a performance from Bronzeville’s own NombreKari, who largely performed tracks from his latest project ‘Children Play with Fire.’ I think I speak for everyone in attendance when I say he truly tore up the stage. Anyone who wasn’t aware of his sound prior to his opening set undoubtedly left with an understanding of his raw talent. NombreKari has been on our radar for quite some time now, but this was our first time seeing him perform live; it’s always great to see an artist’s talent translate to a live medium and he truly impressed throughout his set. There was also a surprise appearance from fellow HL member SONNY which embodied the communal nature of Chicago’s music scene that we appreciate so much.
As for Dreamer’s performance, we immediately understood the “multidimensional” aspect as he was introduced alongside a visual animation projected on the back wall. The stage setup was vast and creative, and it perfectly aligned with the sound of the new album. Throughout the performance, it became clear that this brand-new album is guaranteed to make a crowd move, regardless of the crowd’s familiarity with the tracks. Dreamer ran through cuts off of ‘Goodnight, Dreamer’ such as “Sunset Drive” and “StayUp!”, as well as older cuts like “King” (feat. Saint Lewis) , and he even gave fans a taste of what’s next with a dope performance of some upcoming music. Dreamer Isioma and The Celestials’ energy throughout their set left us both simply impressed as well as excited to see how the young artists can continue to command audiences in the future.
Shoutout Dreamer and the team for having us out!
We had a chance to catch up with Kari after the show, check out our interview below.
Be sure to also check out our photo library at the bottom of the page!
Your debut mixtape ‘Children Play With Fire’ got a great response from the Chicago scene. Can you speak on the creation of this project as well as the response you received after the release?
“It was just me, Nate, and Gus. We just wanted to make something that felt like home, it was inspired by Chance, Vic, Ye so we just wanted to capture the feeling that that music gave us. With the response, it was always our goal to connect with the people in the local Chicago community so that’s what we wanted to do and that’s what we did, we’re still working it.”
You’ve noted Kanye West, Common, and Chance the Rapper as big influences on your childhood as well as ‘Children Play With Fire’, saying “it felt as if the music was created to make sense of the world around me.” How important is it to offer your perspective of Chicago throughout your music?
“The music really just gave me a sense of context and understanding. I’m from the South-Side, so everything that was being communicated in the music directly translated to what I was seeing around me so it was super imperative.”
Can you speak on how YOUMedia has affected yourself and its overall impact on the Chicago music scene?
“YOUMedia is just an ecosystem itself, it helps breed artists and helps breed community. A lot of people know each other in Chicago because of YOUMedia and that just speaks to the importance of it.”
Aside from tonight’s performance, what was your most exciting moment after such a long lapse in performing?
“Probably the release party for the tape, that was really exciting.”
Shoutout Kari for taking some time after the show to catch up with us… NombreKari and Dreamer Isioma are two names to keep in mind as we roll into 2023, take our word for it!
Words by Frankie Pastorelle and Jack Dombro for Pursuit of Dopeness
Photos by Jack Dombro for Pursuit of Dopeness
