LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS — Hannah Bahng at The Social in Orlando (October 20 & 21)

by Shay Claudio • October 27, 2025

There’s something indescribable about seeing an artist you’ve loved for years. Someone whose songs have carried you through sleepless nights and long quiet moments, standing right in front of you, breathing the same air, singing the same words you once listened to alone in your room. That’s what seeing Hannah Bahng felt like.

Orlando was the very first stop of her “Misunderstood World Tour.” Two back-to-back sold-out nights at The Social, a small, dimly lit venue tucked in downtown Orlando’s heart. It’s the kind of space that forces intimacy; no matter where you stand, you’re close enough to feel the bass in your chest and see the flicker in the artist’s eyes

Day 1, October 20th

The energy outside The Social before the show even started was wild. I’d spent the last month creating handmade slogan banners, a project I wanted to share with every fan the next two nights. Passing them out before the doors opened felt like giving away pieces of my own excitement. Watching everyone proudly hold them later that night made me tear up. It was as if all the blood, sweat, and tears I had spent creating this banner were finally worth it. Inside, I took a spot on stage left near the tech booth, close enough to see everything clearly, but far enough to take it all in. The lights were low and chatter filled the room. Then Mad Tsai came on stage to open, and the atmosphere shifted immediately. He had this genuine energy, confident yet unpretentious, and his voice filled the space with warmth. His set was the perfect emotional prelude to what was coming next.

Then, the lights dimmed again. Hannah walked out, framed in soft light, and for a split second, the room went still. Everyone was taking in the fact she was really here. She started with “what never lived,” her voice calm but piercing. It wasn’t just sound, it was storytelling. She sang with so much emotion in every lyric, to the point where it felt raw. She flowed straight into “Sweet Satin Boy” and “tonight’s the night i die to a frank ocean song.” Her tone playful and commanding all at once. Each song felt like stepping deeper into her world, one she had built on honesty and cinematic emotion. When she reached “Vertigo,” the crowd was completely lost in her. I found myself swaying, eyes locked on her expression, trying to memorize the moment. There was something magnetic about the way she sang, how she closed her eyes mid-line, how she smiled softly between verses like she was living inside the song itself.

Hannah Bahng, The Social, Oct. 20th.

The setlist was everything I could’ve dreamed of, with tracks like “Abysmal,” “OLeander,” “RIBS,” “Malibu” (unreleased, but already one of my favorites), “raison d’être,” and “Orchid / Flame.” She made each song feel intimate and vulnerable. During her cover of Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” she danced around the stage, laughing between lyrics as the crowd sang every word back to her. When she performed Billie Eilish’s “WILDFLOWER,” the lights turned soft blue and purple, and people around me quietly cried. The air felt heavy with emotion. As “Misunderstood” began, fans were losing it. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it over the music.

Right before the concert ended and just in time for a picture with the crowd, Hannah’s eyes scanned the room–and then she saw it. She smiled, reached over, and took my banner. The crowd screamed as she held it up and posed with it for a photo. I froze. That one gesture, so small yet so full of meaning, shattered me in the best way. To be seen and acknowledged by someone whose music had been a part of my life for years was unreal. She closed the night with “perfect blues,” her voice echoing through The Social like the soft hum of an ocean wave. It was hauntingly beautiful. Walking out into the cool Orlando night, my voice was gone, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

Day 2, October 21st

If night one was pure emotion, night two was a connection–and for me, it started long before the show began. I had the Blues VIP Meet & Greet experience, which gave me early access, soundcheck, and the chance to meet Hannah. The moment I walked into the venue that afternoon, I was hit by this calm excitement, different from the chaos of GA from yesterday. I got handed a light-blue tote bag labeled “BLUES VIP Only Bag” from Hannah herself, and inside was a tour poster, a physical ticket, a laminated lanyard with a special button, and the sweetest touch; handmade stickers Hannah had created. Everything about it felt intentional and personal.

Soundcheck was stripped-down. No filters, no smoke machines, just Hannah and her band. The room felt sacred, like we were witnessing something rare. Then came the Q&A session, which turned into this honest, funny, heartfelt conversation. She spoke to us like friends, not fans, answering questions with care and humor. When it was my turn to meet her, I could barely breathe. I handed her the gifts I had made and explained I was the one who had made the slogan banners from the first night. Her face lit up. “That was you?” she said, smiling so wide, I almost cried. “Thank you so much. That was so special, I loved it.” Hearing her say that made everything worth it. We took a Polaroid photo together, and exchanged meaningful words before I left. It was small and simple, but it felt like the kind of moment that would stay with me forever.

When GA was let in and the lights dimmed, I could already tell the second night would be louder. The energy was unstoppable. The setlist was nearly identical to the first, but everything felt more alive. Hannah was relaxed, laughing between songs, feeding off the crowd’s energy like it was fuel. Then she teased, “I’ve got a different cover for you tonight,” and the audience went wild trying to guess. When the opening chords of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” filled the room, chaos erupted. The Social transformed into a sea of jumping bodies, shouting every lyric with reckless joy. It was loud, and perfectly imperfect. Everything a live show should be. Seeing Hannah’s versatility on full display, shifting from emotional ballads to grunge-inspired rebellion was incredible. She wasn’t just performing songs, she was owning them. From there, she dove into more songs she played from the night before. Every note hit harder the second time. Maybe because I knew what was coming, or maybe because I was still overwhelmed by the fact she remembered me. The encore was once again pure magic, her voice wrapping around the crowd like a soft goodbye that didn’t want to end.

Hannah Bahng at The Social, Oct. 21st.

As I walked out of The Social after night two, I felt changed. For longtime fans like me, this wasn’t just a concert. It was the realization of everything we’d hoped for. Hannah Bahng didn’t just deliver, she transformed The Social into a living, breathing diary full of vulnerability, self-discovery, and love. Watching her perform live, it was impossible not to feel proud. Proud of how far she’s come, proud to be part of her story, and proud to witness her finally standing on stage where she belongs. Two nights. Two sold-out shows. One artist who gave us everything. If this was just the beginning of her Misunderstood Tour, I can only imagine how much brighter Hannah Bahng’s light will grow from here.

Orlando was lucky we got to witness her beginning.

Hannah Bahng Live Review & Photos by — Shay Claudio.