Hundreds of people packed into The Troubadour on Thursday to take in the light-hearted, reflective and often melancholic songs from the cool and charismatic slimdan. The indie musician, whose real name is Danny Silberstein, charmed the packed interior of the legendary rock venue with his acoustic riffs and signature vocal stacks. Thursday’s show was one of the final stops of his first headline tour. 

In an interview with the Daily Trojan, Silberstein described how this tour is a brand-new experience. A music industry veteran, Silberstein previously spent thousands of hours as a touring guitarist and opening act, walking out each night to crowds of strangers with his gloves up and juking his way through the night. This year, the days of making fans out of strangers have been traded for immediate love from crowds.

“The fact that like 200 people in Atlanta on a Wednesday night are down to hang out with me and listen to my music and support me … that’s the dopest thing ever,” Silberstein said.

That’s not the only recent major life shift for the Los Angeles-based musician. Since he became a father, Silberstein’s days have been early and structured. He’s aware of his time now more than ever, and the transition from family time to work has to be quick.

“Maybe a couple of years ago, I would have been keen to walk to a convenience store and smoke a spliff on the way there and just talk about bullshit for two hours,” Silberstein said. “I’m so good at that. I love doing that, and I can still love doing that, but I think that when I get into the studio … I feel like I have to be respectful of its time and my time.”

Silberstein was eager to speak about Harbour Artists & Music, his label for the past year. He said the independent music company’s creative director Mimi Van Bouchaute is “one of the most talented people” he’s come across in a long time.

Before signing with Harbour, Silberstein said his project’s artwork was limited to photos from his iPhone. When he joined the label, he told Van Bouchaute he was uneasy with the traditional methods of promoting his work through photo shoots and music videos. Instead of forcing a square peg into a round hole, Van Bouchaute met him where he was at, on everything from artwork to video concepts to stage design.

“[Van Bouchaute] was really down to dive into my world and broaden it and make it better,” Silberstein said. “It was such a relief to start working with her.”

Van Bouchaute’s work was clear on stage Thursday night as Silberstein’s band performed in the set she designed. The living room-style scene included a line of audio-activated floor lamps across the back of the stage, flickering to Silberstein’s songs while box television sets live-streamed a close-up shot of the musician’s face.

“I came to her with a notion of, ‘Let’s make it 6% better,’ and we sat down and brainstormed, and she totally executed that,” Silberstein said. “She is so good at working within a budget and being scrappy.”

Van Bouchaute told the Daily Trojan that artist boundaries and practical constraints can be frustrating, but they help her think outside the box.

“You get to be more creative,” Van Bouchaute said. “I want [Silberstein] to be happy, and if we’re making something that might look cool, but is completely out of [his] world, then why would we make that?”

Van Bouchaute said the point of authenticity in creative directing lies in the overlap between a person and their artist persona.

“I care about trends if they’re authentic … but from all the artists that I work with … I’ll try and find a way to just come up with something that feels like them rather than me giving them something TikTok-y,” Van Bouchaute said.

Silberstein extended his praises to the company’s management team led by Senior Manager Bailey Mendelson.

“Bailey’s a fucking dog. She’s a fucking beast. I love Bailey Mendelson,” Silberstein said. 

The pair reconnected after attending the same high school, and Silberstein quickly realized being around the young, hungry energy at Harbour was good for keeping him on his toes.

“I think they’re running one of the best independent labels in the country right now,” Silberstein said.

Mendelson said that prioritizing the artist is integral to Harbour’s philosophy as a music company.

“We truly care about the artists, and we truly want the artists to feel supported and confident and secure in everything we’re putting out into the world,” Mendelson said.

At the Troubadour, hundreds of fans embraced each other, chanting song lyrics and celebrating Silberstein’s messages with swaying hips and gleaming smiles. Tracks tackling everything from disillusionment and teenage nostalgia to marriage and fatherhood rang in fans’ hearts and minds for the entire performance.

Early in the show, Silberstein leaned into the crowd belting his 2022 single “MVP.” Fans expressed their love proudly, crying back the L.A. native’s lyrics, “I’m gon’ try my best to make my hometown proud / Voices in the crowd, so loud, all screaming for me.”

Cash burned holes in fans’ pockets for $10 drinks to commemorate the visceral joy in the venue when Silberstein told the crowd, “I’ll be at merch after the show if you want to arm wrestle or some shit like that.” 

Working on a tight budget and without a full-time photographer, he passed out disposable cameras to the crowd to take photos with their neighbors.

After Silberstein feigned the show’s end and moved backstage, fans howled for an encore before the television sets screened an animated short of “Chinchilla Story,” the last track on his album “Second Dinner.” Fans laughed at the tale of Silberstein rescuing a friend’s pet rodent from his ex-girlfriend’s house during Passover, and he returned with two more of his most popular tracks. 

Once Silberstein closed with the yearning ballad “Nosebleeds” with Devon Again and the self-reflective journey of “Problem Solver,” hundreds spilled onto Santa Monica Boulevard, like one large family reunion just hours after filing into the venue in one quiet line. After Silberstein’s performance, the sleeping street was overcome with a stream of romantics, and the heart of West Hollywood beat with joy.

“I really, really enjoyed this tour, and it makes me want to tour more and in whatever capacity that looks like,” Silberstein said. “It’s been really awesome.”