Review: Hiatus Kaiyote with Rich Medina & Dolphin

by Carmyn Manning

I photographed neo-soul band Hiatus Kaiyote on tour with Rich Medina and Dolphin in Baltimore, Maryland on August 16th.

This was my first time shooting a neo-soul/R&B show and the vibe was significantly more mellow compared to the fast paced rock gigs I typically attend. The photo pit was the calmest one I’ve ever been in, there weren’t photographers scrambling to get the best shot quickly due to the fact that the musicians were so relaxed as well as the crowd at the Baltimore Soundstage.

The sold out show opened with DJ, Rich Medina who played a variety of neo-soul artists such as Erykah Badu and a few of his own custom mixes to set the tone for the night.

The next act was Rashad Smith and Dolphin, who had the expected R&B soul vibe but with a gospel inspired trio singing lead and backing vocals with Rashad. The gospel twist was unexpected but much appreciated by the crowd who cheered for them as much as they did for the later headliner Hiatus Kaiyote.

Once lead singer of Hiatus Kaiyote, Nai Palm, walked on stage and picked up her sparking guitar, the crowd’s tone shifted from relaxed to pure excitement in anticipation for Hiatus Kaiyote to put on an unforgettable show.

They opened the set with their song “Choose Your Weapon” which is also the name of their full length album in which I easily put in my top 5 albums list. Nai’s voice was a mix of soul and indie. This was my first time seeing them preform live and it was mesmerizing.

Hiatus Kaiyote played their final show of their tour in Baltimore with a 20 song setlist that the crowd simply adored.