One Saturday night in September led me to Parish here in Austin, TX, where Kanii and Riovaz hit the stage for the Riorave II tour.
It was no question that this Austin audience had eagerly awaited the night, as the venue quickly filled up with music lovers of all ages, well before Kanii started his set. When he did take the stage, the crowd was instantly invested. Whether they knew the lyrics or not, not a single person in the room stood still as Kanii opened his set.
It was evident that Kanii loves his fans as he powered through technical issues, reached out into the audience, and encouraged a fan to come up on stage to dance alongside him. By the time Kanii ended his set with his massive hit “I Know,” the crowd became electrified. There was an infectious energy throughout the entire venue, even I couldn’t help but get caught up in the hype, as I jumped along with the crowd. It is certain that Kanii has a devoted audience here in Austin, and I am eager to see him return to our Texas town as he grows more confident on stage, maybe on a headline tour of his own.
Riovaz was met with equally warm reception as he jumped on stage and rarely stood still. He had a strong stage presence, a genuine love for performing, and never let himself feel too disconnected from the audience. In fact, I would say that easily my favorite part of his performance was how well he connected with his fans. As you can see with these photos of the night, it was rare to catch Riovaz without his hands in the crowd, encouraging the audience to dance with him, or telling his fans how much they meant to him. These moments between and artist and their audience reminded me of what live music really means at the root of it all; it was clear that the audience enjoyed every moment of his performance.
All in all, while Kanii and Riovaz were both new to me, I highly recommend catching both artists live. You are guaranteed both hype music and genuine connection between the artists and fans alike.
