David Sand at Kelly McGarry Presents – The Viper Room – Live Review
⭐ David Sand at Kelly McGarry Presents – The Viper Room, West Hollywood, CA., July 3, 2026
⭐ David Sand at Kelly McGarry Presents – The Viper Room, West Hollywood, CA., July 3, 2026It was another top‑tier Kelly McGarry Presents showcase at The Viper Room, and on this night before the Fourth of July, Los Angeles‑based singer‑songwriter David Sand was making his long‑awaited debut at the iconic nightclub. Performing acoustically in the downstairs lounge with his friend Tatiana Parfait adding warm, textured guitar lines, Sand drew the packed room straight into his world of emotion, vulnerability, and vivid storytelling.
Breathing Fire opened the set — a raw, unfiltered breakup anthem that hits with the force of a sudden storm. It was a bold and arresting choice, immediately locking the crowd’s attention. The mood shifted into pure joy with a spirited cover of Complicated by Avril Lavigne, sparking a full‑room singalong that felt both nostalgic and electric.
Sand is an artist who grips the soul, and that quality was on full display during a gorgeous mashup of his original Falling Short with the timeless refrains of Alphaville’s Forever Young. The longing, the ache, the shimmer of memory — it all landed with striking clarity. The emotional momentum continued with Die Before I Have You and Promise, each one casting its own spell and sending imaginations soaring.
A surprise highlight arrived when Sand launched into a dazzling acoustic rendition of Girls Just Want To Have Fun, the Cyndi Lauper classic igniting another joyful singalong among the gathered friends. His recent single Party Their Way proved especially powerful live, showcasing both his lyrical bite and melodic charm. And closing the night was his debut single This Town, a wistful ode to chasing dreams — delivered with such sincerity that it felt like a personal message to every listener in the room.
After the final notes faded, Sand handed out stickers with handwritten messages on the back, a small but heartfelt gesture that perfectly reflects his connection to his audience. This compelling artist is absolutely one to watch, and he’ll be appearing at Hotel Ziggy for his first ever We Found New Music event on August 5th.
A huge congratulations to David Sand on a truly memorable set, and gratitude to Kelly McGarry for spotlighting a rising artist whose star is clearly on the ascent.
(Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Vivian Ortega of So Finch Photography)
