Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Having already opened for Camila Cabello, joining Halsey, Dua Lipa, Why Don’t We and many others at the B96 Pepsi Summer Bash and landing second to last on the Lollapalooza bill, Bazzi is no stranger to Chicago in a mere matter of months, but his breakout season kicked up another notch with a sold out House Of Blues headlining show that also marked the closer of the entire “Cosmic” Tour. In fact, every single date reached capacity within seconds of going on sale for the Taylor Swift-approved streaming sensation, and while it may be a bit before swinging back through America, his main muse Justin Timberlake hand-picked the soulful Michigan native to open up all throughout Europe.

By “3:15,” Bazzi bravely stepped off the stage onto the security barricade as every arm within reaching distance mobbed the relative newcomer and nearly all the smartphones shot in the air.

At 20, Bazzi is still navigating what’s it like to leap out of complete obscurity into platinum-plus download sales faster than it’s taken Atlantic Records to actually produce the “Cosmic” collection on vinyl or CD (not that the majority of his audience likely cares about physical artifacts). But the singer/songwriter is surfing the wave as smoothly as possible, building up considerable confidence with each performance to a gaggle of girls who absolutely adore him and a handful guys who probably wouldn’t mind stepping into his shoes if given the chance.

That’s because from the moment the lights dimmed and the star symbol from the album’s artwork lit up the club, fans were screaming at the top of their lungs to the building beats of “Soarin,’” a trend that would continue for each and every selection, regardless of its popularity level. By “Alone” and “Honest,” Bazzi strapped on his guitar and tapped into the full band flavor, while “Beautiful” and “BRB” found him switching to keys for some of the sparser and most intimate moments of the hour with a little bit of change.

By “3:15,” Bazzi bravely stepped off the stage onto the security barricade as every arm within reaching distance mobbed the relative newcomer and nearly all the smartphones shot in the air. Nothing was louder than the massive “Mine” with the main man seeming a bit overwhelmed by the reaction, prior to a bonus reprise of the chorus with everyone more than happy to oblige.

Click here for more photos of Bazzi at the House Of Blues.

For additional information on Bazzi, visit BazziOfficial.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at House Of Blues include The Subliminal Verses (Aug. 10); Drake Party (Aug. 11); DRAMA (Aug. 12); Taps Through Time (Aug. 16); Yacht Rock Revue (Aug. 18); The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (Aug. 22); Made In America: A Tribute To Toby Keith (Aug. 24); I AM Fest (Aug. 25); Lil Baby (Aug. 26) and Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute (Aug. 30). For additional details, visit HouseOfBlues.com/Chicago.

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