“What’s up Austin, how are you? This is my first show in a long time, so thank you for having me, and shout out Texas,” Khalid said to the Sips and Sounds audience as he threw up a “Hook ‘em” sign.
Khalid headlined the Coca-Cola Stage on Friday — the first day of South By Southwest and his first show since December 2024. However, the long break didn’t stop Khalid from giving an energetic and memorable performance.
Entering the stage after his dancers, Khalid opened with “OTW” while wearing jeans and a white quarter zip with blue stripes and orange zipper. Kneeling to interact with the crowd, Khalid opened the stage for an enthusiastic dance break before his performance of “Silence.”
Continuing with his older songs, Khalid shared a track “American Teen” from his first album, released in 2017, and gave a shout out to the 915 area code.
“I wrote this album in El Paso, Texas,” Khalid said. “How many of y’all have been rocking with me since ‘American Teen’?”
After the performance of the title track, Khalid pointed out a dehydrated fan while singing the lyrics “Another Sad Love Song.” Calling attention to the intense situation before hitting every beat, placing his hand on his hip and showing off his footwork.
Despite experiencing technical difficulties due to low mic volume, Khalid still managed to engage with the crowd and invited the audience to sing “8TEEN” with him by pointing the mic into the crowd. The audience sincerely responded by singing the iconic lyrics, “so let’s do all the stupid shit that young kids do.”
As the sun set, the heat from the air and the crowd’s energy endured. Khalid performed two songs while sitting on a stool, shifting the mood from high energy to downcast, but powerful, emotions. He belted the lyrics from “lovely,” a track originally featuring Billie Eilish.
Khalid teased an appearance from Halsey — who performed her set on the same stage an hour after Khalid — by singing “Eastside,” only to leave fans disappointed but restless for the next performer.
Supposedly finishing his set with “Saturday Nights,” Khalid seemed to leave the audience on a bitter-sweet note while donning a blue cowboy hat thrown onto the stage. Then, he decided to play one more song.
“Y’all are killing me man,” Khalid said. “Y’all want one more song? It’s only right that I perform this one right here.”
Finally rounding out his set, Khalid performed “Young Dumb and Broke,” while shaking his backside with the backup dancers before throwing up a peace sign.
