As midnight rolled around on Friday, September 11th, a buzzing line of twenty-somethings began to accumulate in front of Webster Hall. From the sprawl of the queue alone, passersby would have been forgiven for thinking the legendary venue was being headlined by any number of the greats who have played its hallowed halls: Mick Jagger, Jay-Z, Madonna, Green Day. Instead, the main attraction was someone with whom the world became acquainted just three months ago: DJ, producer, and Love Island USA season 8 winner Bryce Alakai.
During most recent season of the hit Peacock reality series, the 30-year-old Alakai became a fan favorite for his boy-next-door charm and modelesque looks, his willingness to express his emotions in the villa, and his full-blown yearning for his now-girlfriend, Trinity Tatum, with whom Alakai won the show.
On Friday, he played Webster Hall for the same reason he went on Love Island: the pursuit of love and human connection. It’s evident before the show, when we meet up near the venue and two young women begin to shriek uncontrollably upon spotting the happy couple. Alakai, in a head-to-toe Golden Goose black ensemble, a leather jacket thrown carelessly over one shoulder and a giant Prada bag dangling from his hand, is warm, open, and a bit bashful, tilting his head back with an I can’t believe this smile. Later on in his green room, he holds court with a gaggle of fans who’ve forked over a little something extra for a meet and greet, engaging in long, genuine conversation: Do you live in New York? Oh, you’re from California? Where in California?
“I get emotional every show, and everybody online makes fun of me for crying,” Alakai told me before taking the stage. “But it’s like, I can’t help it. It’s the amount of love you feel from everyone, the positivity. Everyone’s just here to have a good time, and it’s so surreal to me.”
