Wingtip Puts Everything He Has Into First Ever Headlining Tour [EVENT REVIEW + INTERVIEW]

I first fell in love with Wingtip because of his love for disco. It’s not wild for me to say that this mix is in triple digits of listening for me. After playing support for acts such as Petit Biscuit and Hotel Garuda, New York Native, Wingtip has just embarked on his most ambitious feat yet. His first ever headlining tour in support of his new EP, Ghosts of Youth.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that this show was more than just any normal show for the young musician – it was not only Wingtip’s first ever headlining show – but the first show he played after taking time off from touring the rest of the year in an announcement made on November 20th.

RTT: In November you announced you were taking the rest of the year off from touring. Do you want to talk about that at all?

W: “I’m still trying to figure out how to explain, but I can say that the music industry can be tough on your mental health sometimes, and it can be hard even if everything is ok to not feel like you’re slipping up for falling behind. I didn’t want to lose the feeling that I first had when I started this as a job and didn’t want to lose the feeling that I first had when I started this as a job and didn’t want to feel like I was just painting by numbers. Sometimes you have to tear a lot of stuff down to build a better foundation.”

RTT: And what would you say to any artists that think they are feeling the same as you?

W: “However you feel, you’re definitely not alone. I’ve had conversations with people at every level of success in the industry and everyone has gone through periods where they feel like they’ve failed, or that other people are doing better, or just that what you’re doing doesn’t matter. Just find joy in the music and try not to think about anything else. It’s not easy, obviously.”

As the crowd filed into Schuba’s for the show and to escape the brutal Chicago cold – the front row chatted about the first time they saw Wingtip. Many cited the time they saw him open for ____. As any musician will tell you – the feeling that someone will buy a ticket to see just you after seeing you as an opener is indescribable. As Wingtip took the stage after a perfect opening set by Hazel Eyes he took a moment to make eye contact with almost everyone and took a moment to collect himself.

Wingtip Live Schubas - Kris Lori Photography

RTT: What was it like to play your first ever headlining show when you compare it to opening for the last few years?

W: “I’ve been touring for a couple of years by now so I felt like I had a grip on what a “show” felt like, but literally everything is different when it’s your show. When you’re opening you’re trying to get people on your side. A lot of people don’t know who you are so you try to maybe play songs they know or play crowd-pleasing stuff to keep up the energy. When you’re headlining it’s totally different. A lot of people know your music and have seen you before so it’s about pushing yourself to make a show that feels personal and special for people who are familiar with you.”

As an artist grows and develops their sound so does their live show. Wingtip’s current tour doesn’t include CDj’s. Wingtip describes it as, “It’s part DJ set, part live show that combines my love for dance music, pop music and indie music.” Don’t worry – your dancing shoes will be used. The highlight of the set came from Wingtip’s live rendition of “Fake It.” As he took the crowd through the incredibly catchy single, “Fake It” from his EP he realized that people were singing along to every word. He took a pause to laugh, almost in disbelief and pulled away from the song to mutter “Holy Shit” before screaming “CHICAGO!” in excitement.

RTT: At one point you looked into the crowd and realized that people were singing along to songs that you wrote and you had to take a tiny moment on stage. Can you share what was going through your head?

“That was just one of those moment’s you don’t expect to happen. Ever. You spend you much time alone with these songs you kind of forget that they are real at all. When they’re online they are just numbers and stats and trends but when you see people singing the lyrics and relating to them, it genuinely makes it all worth it.

Wingtip went through his entire catalog of sounds throughout the show – from his new EP to his remixes, and even some unreleased tunes that I can’t wait for them to see the light of day. From chatting with him, it’s clear that he has put everything he has into his music and frankly, I don’t think he plans on slowing down any time soon. If you have a chance to catch his tour, definitely don’t miss it!