DEL WATER GAP LIVE!! | RITZ
Coverage by Larissa Blankenship
Excitement filled the air at the The Ritz in Raleigh, NC on January 15th as fans waited for Del Water Gap to take the stage. Del Water Gap, founded by singer Samuel Holden Jaffe, is currently touring as part of the Chasing the Chimera World Tour with Raleigh being the first stop. The Brooklyn based producer and musician began his music journey playing drums for a rock band in his late teens. He later attended New York University where he met the now Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers. The pair, along with others, formed the initial band that made up Del Water Gap. The group later split and Jaffe continued the band as a solo project. Since 2013 Del Water Gap has released various EPs and full length albums. Their first album, which was released in 2021, includes the band’s hit single “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat”. Their most recent album, Chasing the Chimera, was released in November of 2025.
As Jaffe walked out on stage in a floor length leather coat the crowd definitely proved that Raleigh was the perfect place to start the tour. Fans screamed and jumped as the lights strobed and the band struck the first chords of “Small Town Joan of Arc”. Jaffe matched the energy, which only excited the crowd more. During “Better Than I Know Myself” fans were screaming and dancing so hard it shook the barricade. Del Water Gap performed a strong mix of songs from across their discography. Later in the evening Jaffe ventured out into the crowd to perform a three song “B Stage” set, allowing some lucky fans a once in a lifetime experience. The night closed out with “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat”. The Chasing the Chimera tour will continue across the U.S. through February and will pick back up in Europe in March. Del Water Gap puts on a phenomenal performance and I highly recommend catching their show if they are coming to a city near you.
