On Sunday, October 11, Artemas gave energy, compassion, and love to Toad’s Place in New Haven, Connecticut. His performance counteracted the weather that was grazing over the East Coast. It was gloomy and stormy on Sunday, but once you entered the venue, all that rain and misery washed away as the stage was filled by his presence.
This was my second time seeing Artemas live, and I am so grateful to have been able to see him live again and have the pleasure of capturing his performance on my camera. The first time I had seen him was this past May in Terminal 5 in New York City. That night he had Ella Boa and Henry Morris supporting him, and their performances only added to the romantic energy within the venue. On this tour, DJ Jean Pierre La Croix and Henry Morris were the supporting acts. Their sets were unique and different in their own ways, but one thing is for sure: both of their performances got the crowd amped up for the main act.
DJ Jean Pierre La Croix was the first to grace the stage with his presence. He got the crowd moving to his music, adding flair to Artemas’ “i like the way you kiss me” with heavy bass and a faster beat. He also brought a little bit of comedy to the crowd, interacting with them even when his set seemed to not be working at first. He made some lighthearted jokes about it once he came back on stage after the problem was fixed. He had lasers shooting out bright beams of light above the crowd, while the lighting on stage flashed to really create the vibe of a concert venue turned into a European club rave. On another note, he was wearing a tiny Artemas plush on his headphones which essentially “danced” as he bopped his head to the beat of the song.
During the intermission/transition period from DJ Jean Pierre La Croix to Henry Morris, the audience’s eagerness for more music grew. Some of the crowd started chanting Henry’s name in anticipation of his arrival to the stage. Once he appeared, the crowd roared, screaming as loud as they could once the instrumentals started to play. Henry opened up with “Honey Baby,” a well-known track amongst his fans; even I myself started singing along as I was trying to capture his performance. The energy that was brought to the audience was electrifying; they sang along to almost every lyric that Henry sang. He and the bassist, Dean, jumped together in sync on stage, moving along as the drummer, Seamus, played effortlessly. Henry made sure to keep the audience entertained even when he transitioned to a much slower song. In between songs, Henry made sure to shout out his band members who played alongside him whilst also getting the crowd ready for Artemas, whom he referred to as “Big Poppa Artemas.” Henry and Artemas go hand in hand in making music that is sure to captivate anyone’s ears; he is and was an amazing supportive act for this tour and his last tour.
Once Henry’s set was finished, the crowd started to get even more excited. Some of the fans grabbed their final drinks from the bar; others went to the merch stand and bought some memorabilia. I talked amongst the other photographers, showing the previous shots we had taken. I will say the songs that were playing in the venue during the intermission of each set were very relevant to the current generation. As we were let back into the photo pit, I started dancing with some of the fans at the barricade. No matter if you can ever attend a show of Artemas, just know, Artemas’ fans are the coolest people ever. I got into position, anticipating the instrumentals for the track, “lovercore (intro)” to start. The lights dimmed, the instrumental of the song blared through the speakers, and the crowd went wild. My mind went blank, in all honesty; I cheered alongside the crowd. Once Artemas appeared on stage, I locked in immediately and started taking photos.
After the iconic LOVERCORE intro, “superstar” played. The audience screamed the lyrics as loud as they could, jumping and dancing up and down. Artemas smiled, jumping on stage and dancing around. The ground was shaking, and the stage lights were flashing beautiful, bright colors. After the third song, “southbound,” I tried to get some photos of the performance from the back of the venue. However, I was able to see a much more lively sight. Couples were dancing amongst one another, holding their loved ones in a soft embrace. On the side, there was a girl having her own “moment” with her friends. She was dancing so much that she even went down in the splits — I was stunned. Artemas also performed his own rendition of “SICKO MODE” by Travis Scott featuring Drake. It was sensual, romantic, and sleek.
Additionally, I was surprised when the song “baby give me more (feat. Mareux)” played. I looked at one of the photographers next to me and said, “Oh my goodness! I didn’t expect this!!” I immediately started dancing and singing along by myself. Once the song had ended, Artemas announced that it was the last show of the U.S. tour. He mentioned that he was drinking at the show but nothing too crazy, explaining that “drinking is only helping to enhance the performance.”
Fun fact: The setlist for an Artemas show is going to feature a variety of songs across his discography. One of my favorite songs off of his new album, getting up to no good, is called “control yourself.” I was ecstatic to hear it live when I saw it had been on the setlist. The performance of the song was everything and more. I was awestruck, especially at the end when Artemas’ guitarist, Peter, ripped an insane guitar solo; if I could hear it live again, I would in an instant. He proceeded to play more songs off of the recent album, including “psychokiller,” which had the whole crowd jumping in unison again.
Artemas then moved on to more songs from his album, yustyna, which came out in 2024. He played, “i always kinda knew you’d be the death of me,” which, according to him, is one of his favorite songs to perform live. The whole set during this song was a vibe all up until the energy became too much for a fan in the crowd. Artemas immediately rushed into action, stopping the set and yelling for a paramedic to come assist the fan. Another fan had become faint; Artemas instantly gave some water to assist the other person who had passed out. It hadn’t mattered how long the set was paused for; at this moment, all he cared about was the safety of those who adore him.
At this time, my admiration for Artemas as a fan myself had only grown. As someone who has been in the same position during a concert in a hot, crowded pit, I really do appreciate when the artist performing will stop the show to assist those in need. It shows how much these musicians really do care about their fans, no matter if it is their first show or their fifth. It was also evident to see that Artemas had been anxious about the whole situation as well. On the contrary, even though the atmosphere had grown tense, he still tried to lighten the mood by making little jokes here and there. One of his jokes included him calling New Haven “newly shaven.”
The show must go on. Artemas had finished the duration of “i always kinda knew you’d be the death of me” and moved onto another personal favorite of mine, ”dirty little secret.” All of the anxiety and tension from what had happened moments earlier had vanished. The crowd danced even harder together, almost as if they were dancing for the fans that had been medically assisted outside of the crowd/venue. During a break in the song, Artemas introduced his band, mentioning that his drummer would be taking a break from the tour in the future. Crazy enough, his drummer, who is named Andrei, is actually DJ Jean Pierre! The duality of his talent is absolutely out of this world.
Sadly, no matter how much fun you may be having at a show, the concert must end sometime. To close out the set, Artemas played his hit song, “i like the way you kiss me.” At this time, I was transformed into a concert-goer. I danced with one of the photographers that I met that night, screaming the lyrics as loud as I could. The bass flooded through the venue; the lights seemed brighter than they had seemed at the start of Artemas’ set. It truly was a grand finale to end the U.S. portion of the tour. I hope I am lucky to continue to see Artemas perform live, to absorb the infectious energy from the crowd and feed it back towards him. If you can, I would highly recommend going to an Artemas show at least once in your lifetime. It’ll be an unforgettable experience that’ll make you want more.
FOLLOW ARTEMAS
INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC | TIK TOK | WEBSITE
Leave a Reply