My friend and I went to see a canceled influencer perform for $6. Unfortunately, he was really good. (A quick take on Lovejoy at The 9:30 Club on 11/22)
Wilbur Soot. The name sends a shiver of teenage cringe down the spines of many. Soot first began to take off in 2017 with his collaborative channel “Soot House.” But in 2020, his role on the DreamSMP, a Minecraft server run by fellow canceled Youtuber Dream, shot his personal channel upwards. The former being charged with domestic abuse, and the latter having posted slurs online.
Now, I want to start this review by saying I’m not personally a fan of Wilbur Soot; a week ago, I never would have expected to find myself staring at the 6’6” mass of a British Minecraft Youtuber that was the center of my many COVID-obsessions in the flesh. But when my friend brought up the fact that we could get tickets to see Lovejoy for $6 on Stubhub, (the fees were literally more expensive than the tickets themselves) how could I say no?
Another disclaimer: we were at the concert for about an hour and missed the opener, so this won’t be a comprehensive review. We weren’t super desperate to get good spots, and were honestly slightly scared of the fans we’d encounter had we arrived early. However, the sections of the concert that we did catch felt like one of the most comical social experiments I’ve been part of in a long time.
Ascending to the second floor of The 9:30 Club, I knew that the main demographic of fans attending a Lovejoy concert are those who either don’t know (unlikely) or don’t care (far more likely) about Soot’s cancellation. Naturally, this made for a much younger demographic, accompanied by their respective chaperones. Because of the online fandom’s reputation of devotion and enthusiasm, I expected a pretty excitable crowd; But excitable is an understatement for what I witnessed. In case you’re unaware, 2020-era Minecraft fans are exceedingly passionate. The venue was absolutely shaking with the screaming and stomping of teenage fans as my friend and I watched from the safety of our perch above the pit. There was yelling and clapping before and after every word that came out of Wilbur Soot’s mouth, whether it was a song or not. My friend (who was in the crowd during Chapell Roan’s first performance at Lollapalooza), said it was one of the loudest crowds she had ever seen. The person in front of us was screaming bloody murder during every other song, and recording the entire hour that we were in attendance. It made me happy to see how thrilled everyone was, but it also made me even more terrified that our “let’s go as a bit” idea would be found out, because we were not discrete at all. We were laughing the entire time.
When I eventually overcame my fear of laughing TOO loud, I was able to give my full attention to the matter at hand: a man who I had only seen through my computer screen, and honestly didn’t think was fully real, throwing himself across the stage in a fashion that was probably supposed to be considered dancing. I watched as he pandered for TikTok by making direct eye contact with each phone glued to him in the front row. Wilbur Soot demanded the attention of every single person in the building, and it 100% worked. His awkward, stringy movements alongside the way he mimed playing the instruments of his fellow band members made it addicting to simply observe him existing. His stage presence was great, which is no surprise knowing his background in content creation.
Alongside Soot and his jarring but satisfying movements, there was a lot going on onstage. The visuals behind the band changed throughout the songs, feeling frankly movie-esque. A few even seemed to tell stories. Towards the end of our time at the concert, I found myself distracted by watching the uncanny-valley versions of an animated Adam and Eve displayed onscreen instead of the band themselves. Each band member brought great instrumentals. I wish they had more of a chance to shine next to the sheer excitement that the lead singer’s presence provided.
At one point, Soot asked the audience to “vote” on what song they wanted to see next. I was thrilled to hear him list options from the band’s first EP, Are You Alright?, which was released in 2021, because I had been feeling a little left out. The amount of scream-singing that surrounded me was all-encompassing. Soot asked the crowd to vote by making noise, then, when unable to tell which song actually won, had the house lights turned on so he could see audience members raise their hands. Knowing what he’s canceled for, I found myself slightly uncomfortable. However, when “Sex Sells” was chosen, it was fun to be able to end the night by watching a song I actually knew be performed onstage. Some of Lovejoy’s music is pretty good, and though not personally something I’d listen to anymore, it is 100% fit for a concert. It is extremely stomp-your-feet and dance around in the specific way that indie rock provides.
Although we left early, both my friend and I were pleasantly surprised by how much fun we had. Observing the fans combined with laughing at the pure silliness that radiated from the stage made for an enjoyable concert, and although I wouldn’t see them again or recommend getting tickets for any more than $6 from a reseller, Lovejoy may just be the only good thing about Wilbur Soot.
