(NEW YORK, NY) -- On May 6, 2026 - a rainy Wednesday night in New York City - fans and friends packed into Francis Kite Club on the Lower East Side to celebrate the release of Live Wire, the new EP from Lily Vakili. The intimate venue created the perfect setting for a performance that felt deeply personal, emotional, and completely alive.
Building on the momentum of her 2025 full length release Oceans of Kansas, Montclair, New Jersey artist Lily Vakili brought the same magnetic energy and poetic storytelling that have become trademarks of her live performances. Recorded live in studio with her touring band and Grammy Award winning, Emmy nominated producer Reed Turchi at Second Take Sound in New York City, Live Wire captures the raw spirit of her music, and that same spirit filled the room throughout the night.
From the moment she stepped onto the stage, Lily commanded attention. Between songs, she shared poetry and reflections that drew the audience even closer, creating an atmosphere that felt more like a shared experience than simply a concert. Her set moved effortlessly between reimagined older favorites and newer material, blending blues, rock, and art rock influences with emotional honesty and intensity.
One of the standout moments of the evening was her performance of “Anybody Knows,” a song that instantly became a personal favorite of the night. The track perfectly showcased Lily’s ability to combine vulnerability with powerful delivery, holding the room completely captive from beginning to end.
There is something undeniably captivating about watching Lily Vakili perform live. Nobody could take their eyes off her while she sang. Her charisma, emotion, and connection with the audience transformed the evening into far more than an EP release party. It became a reminder of how powerful live music can be when an artist fully gives themselves to the room.
For longtime fans and first time listeners alike, the Live Wire release show was an unforgettable night and a perfect reflection of the EP’s title: raw, electric, and completely alive.
Here are more photos from the concert.
ALL PHOTOS BY JULIE HOFFMAN
Julie Hoffman is a concert and live event photographer with a background in broadcasting. She started out in the newsroom at ABC News in NYC, and ended up as a Technical Director at Disney/ ABC TV studios in Los Angeles. She has since left broadcasting and moved back to the east coast, where she started up her photography business.
When she is not at a concert, she is shooting print/theatrical headshots out of her studio in Livingston, NJ. For more on her visit her website at www.juliehoffmanphotography.com or her Instagram accounts for Concerts/Live Events and Headshots.
