On the night of Feb. 13, 2020, New Yorkers gathered in the starlit Lower East Side, ready for a night of tenderness, emotion, and dance – and not just because of Valentine’s Day Eve. On that same night, LA-born and now Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Spencer Ludwig shook the house when he sold out the Mercury Longue for a night of almost entirely new music. With already an astonishing amount of accomplishments in his music career from earning a Latin Grammy for the track “Por Pura Curiosidad” with Fonseca, to performing at multiple festivals and touring the U.S. and Europe with artists like Bebe Rexha and Betty Who, it’s hard to believe that his show at the Mercury Longue was his first-ever sold-out headlining concert. Equally as surprising is the fact that Ludwig has yet to release his first full-length solo project, although the artist has been teasing the release of one for some time now. To celebrate both of these milestones, a very ready-to-party crowd gathered at the Mercury Longue to spend the night boogieing to a setlist of both familiar hits and unreleased dance tracks from Ludwig.
Ludwig kicked the night off right by opening up with a track that immediately got the audience moving. His look complete with a gorgeous fringed leather jacket and lime-green hair, Ludwig’s stage presence is just as impressive as his performances. The artist danced from each side of the stage delivering compelling vocals between stunning trumpet solos. After the dancy ballad concluded and the crowd had a chance to catch their breath, Ludwig eventually moved onto his hit song “Best Life”, revving the energy right back up. Throughout the night, the crowd was consistently switching between fiercely moving their feet to swaying back and forth to the more melancholic songs. For example, Ludwig debuted new songs like “Us” and “Falling Out,” the latter featuring a sample of his late father’s old music. He earnestly explained that he sampled the track so that he and his father could live on forever in the music. The serener tracks evidently touched the crowd, a response that Ludwig was very grateful for. “I could feel everyone connecting with the lyrics and analyzing my music in a way I’ve never felt before,” he told The Pace Press, “which meant a lot since it was my first time performing new material and taking some personal and musical risks.”
Despite the moving anecdotes, Ludwig was consistently able to recapture that same energy that emitted from the crowd during the most upbeat of tracks. Throughout the night, the stage was graced with performances from a wide range of instruments, from Ludwig on the trumpet and guitar to some friends on the drums, keyboard, and even life-sized tuba. Perhaps the most notable music highlight from the night was when Ludwig’s bandmate on guitar delivered one of the most wowing vocoder solos that the crowd had ever seen, judging from their reactions.
As the night came to a close, Ludwig made it clear that he was no stranger to NYC nightlife – he announced that he was looking forward to meeting everyone at an after-party and an “after-after-party” coordinated by him and his team. This announcement seamlessly transitioned into his biggest song “Diggy,” which immersed the crowd in its infectious chorus and trumpet sections. The immediate next cut was dedicated to his wife, a heartfelt serenade to fit the mood of Valentine’s Day, and Ludwig ended the night with a cover of Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long.”
The atmosphere at the Mercury Longue was starkly different after Ludwig’s unforgettable dance party. The crowd had been completely moved by the synergy throughout the venue after singing, dancing, and swaying the night away. “The energy at Mercury lounge last night was really special,” said the artist himself. “I felt like the sold-out venue was there to really listen and show their support.” Keep an eye out for Ludwig’s first full-length solo release, slated to release this summer. And if you’re at all interested in attending one of his grand get-togethers, he starts his monthly residency “Le Trumpet” at the Freehold in Brooklyn this March.
