Nearly a year into the pandemic and consequently, the shutdown of live music, Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler perfectly brought their collaborative projects, brent and brent II, to life on Wednesday night with brent: live on the internet.
With some help from their live band, a stage made up of a dirt floor, beautiful warm lighting, intricately put trees, and thought out camera work, the live stream made viewers feel like they were physically in the space—mimicking the same safe and welcoming feeling one gets when stepping into a theater.
The duo started off the show with “this is how you fall in love” with Cutler on the acoustic guitar as Zucker’s soft voice blended in smoothly with the instrumentals in the background, which also included a cello, pedal steel, and drums before Cutler joined into harmonizing with him.
As they began to move onto the second song of the night, Zucker acknowledged the fans watching at home and said that they had “dreamed up this performance a long time and ago” and were excited to share it with all their fans.
Based on how well the stage and light design matched the vibe of the duo’s musical projects, the viewers could definitely tell how much thought was put into the show. Even with the camerawork that would smoothly move around the stage and in between the spaces of the musicians, it felt like you were slow dancing.
“Please” and “parent song” followed the opening and the songs encapsulated the chemistry Zucker and Cutler share, not only with themselves but with their voices as well. Their voices shined as they sang their own lines but blended together smoothly to give listeners honey-like harmonies.
Cutler moves to the keyboard with a warm spotlight on her as she sings “the stars,” her solo piece on the project, as Zucker plays the electric guitar behind her. Zucker then follows with his own solo piece “brooklyn boy.” Both of their voices equally hypnotizing for different reasons.
For “better off” the band left the stage and Zucker and Cutler were left to sing the tune with just their guitars, a more stripped-back version of the song.
Before closing out the live stream, the duo introduced their live band (who wore masks throughout the entire show) made up of a cello, pedal steel, keys, trumpet, flugelhorn, and drums. Zucker and Cutler ended their set with “emily” and “you were good to me,” the latter being the duo’s most well-known song.
“We feel so privileged to have like so many people in the house tonight making this happen,” Cutler said before ending the stream.
“We love you guys and we can’t wait to play a show,” Zucker added.
Throughout the live stream, there was merchandise available for fans to purchase which included a limited-edition t-shirt to commemorate the show, and a live chat sidebar that allowed fans to speak amongst themselves and share their excitement—both things that a concertgoer gets to have at a physical show.
For only $16.50, Zucker and Cutler along with their band, crew, and help from the streaming platform, Moment House, were able to give fans the chance to dive into the world of brent and brent II and create a serendipitous experience for them.
Though the feeling you get from going to an in-person live show can never be matched, having artists like Zucker and Cutler put so much thought and care into a live stream show, can definitely make these virtual concerts worth it. Watching what the duo did for “brent: live on the internet” makes me all the more excited and curious to see what they would do for a full theater tour. Safe to say they’ve gained a new fan!
Make sure to give brent and brent II by Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler a listen if you haven’t already.
We’d love to hear your thoughts! Did you catch the live stream? What was your favorite part? Send us a tweet @celebsecrets and don’t forget to leave a reaction down below.
