Photo by DYLAN LONG
Making Time celebrated its 15th anniversary in grand fashion last night at the Philly gayborhood’s Voyeur Nightclub, with a highly anticipated headlining set from dance-pop’s biggest and newest up-and-comer, Shamir. The 20 year-old sensation from Las Vegas has set himself apart from the pack with his breathtaking countertenor, lovely persona and vibrant variety of songs. Popping up on stage a few minutes after midnight to an immense roar from the hyped up crowd, Shamir knew exactly what kind of time the club was looking for as he kicked off his set with a pep in his step. Wild screams of bliss and countless individuals feverishly bouncing up and down told the story of Shamir’s 50-minutes of glory, especially during the performance of his extravagantly funky hit single “On The Regular.” Contrasting to the glamorous high-energy side of his repertoire, Shamir also incorporated a much more soft and delicate array of songs such as “Youth” (in which a full crowd sing-a-long was induced), an acoustic performance of “Darker” and the elegant “Head In The Clouds,” all of which showcased his strikingly androgynous countertenor voice. At the conclusion of his set, Shamir jumped into the crowd as the last song in his set wrapped up and began singing and dancing with members of the crowd, hugging people left and right and simply rejoicing in the beauty of the night. After his set concluded, I stood at the edge of the upper balcony watching him make his way through the crowd greeting everyone with a bright smile and gratitude in his eyes. I then came to the warmhearted conclusion that I want for nothing but greatness to come in the future of this wonderful young artist, and for him to continue pushing the boundaries of gender, music and self-expression until death do us part. — DYLAN LONG