Lexa Gates’ Elite Vessel Tour made a stop at Chicago’s Subterranean.
Lexa Gates–known for her crisp, large eyeliner, her fun little dance, and recently sitting in a glass box for several hours–stopped at Subterranean for her Elite Vessel Tour.
taken by Taylor Pate.
Elite Vessel, released October 18, 2024, is Lexa Gates’ 5th album, featuring Gates’ singles, “Lately, Nothing” featuring Alé Araya, “Stacy’s Chips,” and “I Just Can’t Be Alone,” all of which have been gaining traction on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. However, Elite Vessel is much more than a couple of catchy lyrics–this work of Gates is straight from a page in her diary. She reflects on her emotional and physical state in the self-produced opener, “Alone,” setting the tone for the album with its romantically intricate and introspective lyrics.
What I truly admire about Elite Vessel is Gates’ selectivity in her features. With this being such a personal album, having people write between those lines and margins could be overwhelming–not only for the artist, but for the audience. However, Gates made wise choices. One of three features is on “Sweet.. Time,” with a verse from Michigan-born rapper Zelooperz, who compliments Gates perfectly. Not only was Gates selective about whose voice was featured alongside hers, but also with who helped her curate the sound of this project. Producer Billy Lemos is prevalent on the album, like on the song “I Just Can’t Be Alone” where Lemos intertwines samples of R&B with Gates’ vocals to create a nostalgic yet somehow new sound. Across the album, Gates creates her own sound by blending jazz and 90s R&B with her own experiences and voice. Truly, she’s a breath of fresh air in the underground rap community.
The Subterranean was a perfectly intimate venue for Lexa’s show. I was right there, probably only two feet away from her on stage. Having gone to so many shows, the effect of seeing an artist perform up close shouldn’t be such a grand moment anymore. However, something about being there, in that space with Gates, was simultaneously so surreal yet so human. Gates’ presence was endearing and comforting and the show wasn’t a big production–it was just a down-to-earth artist displaying her gallery of art.
I want to give a big shout-out to the girls behind me who knew every lyric to the setlist. It's fans like them that keep smaller artists like Gates going. I hope to see the number of those people grow when Gates comes back to Chicago.
edited by Sydney Cook.
photos taken by Taylor Pate.
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