Late start, great Strip performance for rising pop star

The best way to overcome a 75-minute delay is to nail a performance for 75 minutes.

The billion-streamed artist Beabadoobee made a late night a great night at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan. Her Wednesday performance filled the venue with full-throated fans, who hung in patiently after technical issues pushed back the scheduled 9:15 p.m. start to 10:30. Reportedly this had to do with a guitar component that, technically speaking, crapped out, and there was no backup.

It was an uncommonly long, school-night experience at the resort’s 3,200-seat venue, with doors at 6 p.m. and two opening acts leading to the Beabadoobe-fest.

The artist, born Beatrice Laus in London and raised in the Philippines, has developed a robust Gen-Z fan base. An encouraging talent in her generation, Beabadoobee is busy as a songwriter and in the studio, having released three albums and five wide-ranging EPs at age 24. Last year she was named to the TIME 100 Next List, a spin-off of the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

Studio legend Rick Rubin produced her latest album, “This is How Tomorrow Moves.”

From last night. The #Beabadoobee arrival at Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan. Full house, full-throated response. Delayed start, great show … @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/QcLeJJTWpg

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) April 17, 2025

The headliner thanked the crowd at the start, and near the close, for waiting it out. She took the the stage to a cascade of screams 45 minutes after an announcement that tech issues had delayed the show. She dressed casually, like an artist, in an Absolut Idiot white T-shirt with black lettering, black shorts and pot-plant tube socks. She performed with multiple electric and acoustic guitars.

“Coffee,” “Take a Bite” and “One Time” were among our favorites, the vocals boosted by a band honed from performing on its current tour and a set at Coachella over the weekend. Reports from that show were the crowd didn’t give the artist her due, responding tepidly to her set and also Mexican singer-songwriter Junior H. From a fan on X, “Beabadoobee deserves a more energetic crowd.”

She had that in Wednesday’s straightforward presentation, the stage designed to reflect an art studio, with work table, stepladder and tall piece of foliage intermingling with the musicians. In the encore, as a gift to the fans who waited out the tech issues, Beabadoobee played a swirling acoustic number never performed prior.

She asked the crowd to drop the phones. It was a big ask in this audience, which turned to such iPhone game apps as Charades to keep busy during the delay. But they complied, enjoying this artist singing along with her trusty six-string. It was a move befitting a seasoned vet, and a sweet way to save this show.

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John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.