Maddie Zahm Rocks World Cafe Live in Philadelphia

On March 18th, I had the pleasure to cover the Maddie Zahm show in Philadelphia, PA. Between following the artist from 2020 to now, I was pretty excited to see her perform live. Maddie Zahm is a 25 year-old singer-songwriter hailing from Pittsburgh, PA. The artist has dropped numerous singles and a EP titled You Might Not Like Her and is working on another EP to be released later this year. With songs such as “Fat Funny Friend”, “Blind Spot”, and “Family Reunions”, I knew it would be a very special experience hearing them live with other fans.

When entering the World Cafe Live, I automatically had the feeling of being in a safe and comfortable space. Everyone in the crowd was talking, complimenting, and just engaging with one another, something that I haven rarely seen the last couple of months. While waiting for Maddie Zahm, I decided to go around, asking the fans different questions about themselves and how her music impacts their lives. One answer many people kept saying was that, “she makes me feel comfortable and happy in my own body”. This is something I can really see in her music. In the last couple years, Zahm has made waves for coming out as queer and speaking on things that made her uncomfortable being in a stifling church community. I feel if you want people to change and feel comfortable in a system such as that, sometimes you gotta take that risk and speak up. She’s been doing a great job doing just that and hopefully gives other people the courage to do so as well.

Around 9 PM, the goddess Maddie Zahm came on the stage to an incredible ovation of a sold out crowd. She went into her set playing crowd favorites such as “Pocket Bible” and “Fat Funny Friend”, while also diving into her song, “Step On Me.” One thing I really loved about her performance was the fact that she really does understand the magnitude of her audience and engages with them within every song. At one point, she talks to a younger fan who lets her know she’s the reason she came out as bisexual and immediately started to tear up at that moment. Another stand out factor about her performance was that she does not just do regular versions of her songs but does stripped down ones as well with her guitarist.

I absolutely loved her set and can't wait for her upcoming album. If you have a chance, go to a show, you will not regret it.