Apr 30, 2023 | ktru
By Rachel Bui
thuy has hit the road once again, this time as support for Ella Mai. KTRU got a preview of what’s coming to Houston, having attended the opening of the tour in Wallingford, CT.
She performed some of her hits like “Girls Like Me Don’t Cry” and “in my bag,” as well as “my universe.” If her headlining tour didn’t prove her star power before, her performance as an opener for Mai did – her performance was strong, and she interacted with the crowd like a natural. I’m sure she left an impact for the audience to remember her after that night, and it was a pleasure to watch her again.
thuy is an R&B artist from the Bay area, supporting Ella Mai on her “Heart on My Sleeve” tour.
Mar 9, 2023 | ktru
by Rachel Bui
Grammy-nominated and Latin Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Carla Morrison definitely has dedicated fanbase up in Northeast United States. This tour comes as Morrison breaks into the Billboard Hot 100 with collaborative feature on Karol G’s latest album and title track “Mañana Será Bonito.” Knowing how accomplished she is and having interviewed her (see here), I was intrigued and curious to see her perform live.
Morrison’s opening act was sister duo Reyna, a synth-pop/electro-pop act with Latin influence. Their youthful energy served as an interesting foil to Morrison’s emotional maturity, making it feel like I saw two shows that night. I liked how they would quip with the audience and introduce songs by talking about the inspiration behind them (like “a toxic ex”), and I look forward to adding a few of their songs to my playlist.
With a full band accompanying her, she began the night with “Eres Tu,” a fun, light-hearted preview of what the night would offer. Morrison has a voice with such clarity that really hits you in the heart, and her performance was a fantastic blend of catharsis and celebration, as could be observed with how joyous the audience was. The crowd enthusiastically sang along with Carla and frequently expressed their joy with calls of “¡Te amo!” all night. Some even danced out of their seat, and by the end of the night, audience members left their seats to rush to the stage front to dance along with her for her final song, “Diamantes.” Even with a language barrier for me, I felt the sincerity throughout the night whenever she spoke or sang, and I left the venue that night feeling refreshed, optimistic, and eager to write this review.
Mar 7, 2023 | ktru
by Rachel Bui
Whoever crafted the lineup for the New Haven stop of Eric Bellinger’s Obsession Tour had their finger on the pulse of pop culture – all the artists are talented multihyphenates, and the common thread was their R&B discography.
The night at Toad’s Place started with a warmup with Melody Shari. She performed her whole discography – which consists of 2 songs as of the writing of this article. Though it did seem disjointed from the rest of the night’s lineup stylistically and timewise, I still enjoyed her set.
The next performer is not new to the music scene, but hadn’t released her own music until recently. Even if her bright red suit or her signature blue hair didn’t catch your eye, GoGo Morrow’s vocal performance commanded your attention. The songstress struck a nice balance between slow jams and punchy tracks, with energetic backup dancers enhancing the performance. With a long list of accomplishments as a performer under her belt, she’s got the making for a strong artist in wherever she wants to go. I hope to have the privilege to see her live again and see how she grows.
Trevor Jackson brought the heat up a notch from the moment he entered on stage. As if he hadn’t already mesmerized the crowd with his performance, later in the set he jumped the barricade and joined the audience for part of his performance, exciting the crowd with the surprise visit. With how well known he is, it was refreshing to see how much he trusted his audience and rewarded them with his up-close presence.
Before the man of the night came out, a crew set up three giant picture frames as props on stage – perhaps as a nod to his affinity for trilogies? The setup had a nice framing effect of the three musical elements on stage: the DJ, the guitarist, and Bellinger himself. Bellinger has such a rich discography to pull from, and he made great use of it when executing his setlist. Starting off the night with “Obsession,” a track from his latest album, 1(800)HIT-EAZY: Line 2, he weaved his way through his discography, performing songs from his discography as early as The Rebirth.
Initially when I saw that Bellinger was coming to New Haven to perform at the local dance club/small concerts venue, I admit that I was a little perplexed, considering how big of a name he is. After seeing what the team did with the show, I’m beginning to understand the decision to choose a smaller venue in order to create an intimate version of a tour stop. From the get-go fans had connected with Bellinger, matching his energy and singing the verses word-for-word, even on tracks that were only recently released. Until the very end he had his audience enthralled. It truly was a treat to watch an artist who has perfected his craft early in his career, and yet he will continue to soar. Not even the sky is the limit for Eric Bellinger.
Mar 3, 2023 | ktru
by Keegan Pierce
I saw Show Me the Body at Warehouse live this weekend, February 19th.
Show Me the Body believes in the DIY ethos. They’ve built their own record label, a recording studio, and community outreach programs through their CORPUS community. Their sound is also made from the ground up. A drum, bass, banjo fiddle punk trio is unique enough, but each member further contorts their instrument into something distorted, angular, and monolithic and almost unrecognizable. Unlike some bands that wield massive noise haphazardly, SMtB expertly allows for some quiet and empty space that allows their sonic pummeling to maintain its punch the whole show. Most of their songs have a rich dynamic range from quiet and slow to fast and loud that keeps the listener on a steady rise in energy culminating in the band thrashing around the stage.
The energy on stage was matched in the pit. This is not the first time I’ve seen SMtB pull a passionate crowd of young punks to the show. Given their surprising sound, it is at first glance surprising their innovative sound has found so many eager ears. That would be to mistake their singular sound for an insular sound, while SMtB has an inclusive message and sound. They wield their noise for the disenfranchised with their charged lyrics. Both times I’ve seen the band, they’ve created a lineup of punk, hip-hop, and metal bands in support. This created a great pit with all the angry young people in town, which was special.
Show Me the Body is defining their own space in the punk sound while generating the sense of solidarity and community the genre is about. See them some time on their busy touring schedule!
Mar 3, 2023 | ktru
by Keegan Pierce
Margo Price is a singer/songwriter out of Nashville. That’s the short description I gave people when they asked me who I saw play at White Oak Music Hall on February 2nd. It’s true that Margo Price has recorded at the Grand Ole Opry, but her sound is too wide-ranging for the Music City label to convey.
So here’s the long-form description.
I saw Margo Price touring behind her most recent album, “Strays,” the product of a mushroom trip and collaborations with songstress Sharon Van Etten, indie pop group Lucius, and Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell. A formula that hints at the album’s expansive sound: there’s a grandness to the textures and themes that will even catch the ear of listeners who “hate country music.”
The sound was big live, too. Her backing band, The Pricetags, kept their sound guy busy mixing and tuning a whole host of guitars in between songs. There were five guitars on stage at times: a bass and a combination of acoustics and electrics. All this shredding didn’t drown out Price in the least; it just set the scene at a necessary scale for her singing. Her voice was majestic, despairing, wistful, or spiteful as the song or line or word demanded. It all swirled together for a tempest of a show ranging from wet-eyed ballads to thunderous rockers.
This nuance is lost in classifying the show as country. It doesn’t work to say she’s a country artist gone rock, either. The crowd had more cowboy boots than Doc Martens. Even beyond the lines about Tennessee, tequila, and farms, Margo Price works with the same core themes as other country artists. Margo Price drives the lonesome, ornery, and mean country highways but with a rockin’ restlessness and a sexiness.
You could probably call it cosmic American music or some other made-up word, but I’ll end by saying that she’s a country artist who can (and if you’re as lucky as me, will) hop on the drums for a cover of Elvis Costello’s pump it up at the end of the set.
Nov 25, 2022 | ktru
Below is a scan of the fall 2022 ktru Noizeletter zine for your enjoyment!
Nov 9, 2022 | ktru
by Alexa Scott
Hailing from Perth, Western Australia, Spacey Jane was a long way from home when they found themselves at Warehouse Live in Houston Texas as part of their Here Comes Everybody International Tour. As soon as the band stepped on stage the set opened with “Sitting Up”, with the fitting line “how’s that for an intro?”. It was an excellent intro according to the crowd, who roared with cheers, giving the Aussie band a classic Texan welcome. RIght off the get go, guitarist Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu set the tone for the high energy show, flipping his long curls back and forth as he played. As a fellow long curly-haired person, part of me thought this was mostly due to the lack of peripheral vision that inevitably comes from rocking the curls, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. After the second song, “Lunchtime”, lead singer Caleb Harper stated “We’re gonna be playing for the next hour or so, and just try to fit as much as possible in”, this proved an accurate description as the show progressed with little to no breaks between tracks.
Throughout the first half of the show, Spacey Jane did a great job of keeping the energy up, with an ample amount of bouncing and rocking across the stage which the crowd naturally fed off of. This continued until around halfway through the show when both the band and the crowd got a break as the opening of “Bothers Me” played. A majority of the themes within Spacey Jane’s music deal with processing emotions and life experiences and this was evident as the crowd sang the words back to the melancholy song. The intimate venue fostered this sense of connection that was beautifully compatible with the music being played.
The show continued with much of the higher energy from before, especially with the track “Feeding the Family” which originally jump started the bands early career. Ending the show with an encore featuring “Booster Seat”, Spacey Jane wished us farewell. Houston marked a near end of the US part of their international tour with only two stops following it. After this, Spacey Jane will take a stop in Mexico City before hitting Europe for the rest of their international tour.
Never listened to Spacey Jane? Songs I’d recommend:
Booster Seat, Bothers Me, Feeding the Family
Oct 24, 2022 | ktru
by Amy Lam
The first standout was The Chicks’ incredible headliner performance on Friday night. I’ve been listening to a lot of The Chicks recently, so finally hearing them live was pure joy. By the time they came onstage, the sun had gone down and the stars were out – a perfect backdrop for the music to come. The Chicks were sure to include their biggest hits in their set. “Wide Open Spaces” and “Cowboy Take Me Away” were fantastic performances, with Martie Maguire’s fiddle and Emily Strayer’s banjo truly shining. These were some of my favorite songs all weekend; lead singer Natalie Maine’s sweet, sincere delivery of lyrics like “I wanna sleep on the hard ground/In the comfort of your arms/On a pillow of bluebonnets/In a blanket made of stars” blended perfectly with the warm Texas night air. These beautiful words resonated with the whole audience- everyone was swaying and singing their hearts out, especially me.
Another exceptional performance from Saturday was Habibi, a five-member, all-female band with origins from Brooklyn and Detroit. They attracted a sizable crowd, but we were able to snag a spot for our picnic blanket near the front. With their cool black sunglasses and simple red costuming, their stage presence was down-to-earth with a fun, fiery spirit. It was clear that all five members were truly connected with their instruments. I could admire up-close how lead singer Rahill Jamalifard moved with this self-assured energy and how guitarist Lenaya Lynch shredded her electric guitar with such intensity. Overall, Habibi’s sound shone with influences of surf rock and psychedelic rock, with some Middle Eastern melodic elements mixed in. Some song highlights included “I Got the Moves,” “Sweetest Talk,” and “Come my Habibi.” All of these featured fun, bass-driven melodies that were very conducive to happy head-bobbing in the Austin sun (very much appreciated).
Next was Tai Verdes. I immediately noticed the incredible charisma of his stage presence. He interacted with the audience in a way that was friendly yet snarky and confident yet authentic, making him stand out from other acts of the weekend. His performance style was highly engaging; he’d conduct the audience in his choruses and urge everyone to wave their arms in sync. Even as someone who had never heard his music before, he had me smiling and sing-screaming during infectiously fun songs like “A-OK” and “Let’s Go to Hell.” He incorporated lots of joking and storytelling in his set too; before performing the hit “sheluvme” from his newest album HDTV, he painted a playful picture of showing the song to your date in the car – “one hand on the wheel, so she knows you’re cool.” Overall, his music had an easygoing feel and was extremely easy to enjoy, but songs like “Solamente” still made clear that his confident stage persona didn’t compromise more introspective, low-key styles of lyricism and performance. Tai Verdes ended his set with an energetic performance of “LAst dAy oN EaRTh,” which was as much of a motivational speech as it was a memorable closer. He urged us – almost Shia LaBeouf “Just-Do-It” style – to go home and change our lives in the way we’ve always wanted to. It was amusing and endearing and heartfelt all at the same time – a perfect end to the concert.
Finally, Lil Nas X: this set was spectacular, showstopping, life-changing, an absolute standout. My favorite all weekend. Lil Nas X possessed this intense charisma and laser-focused confidence that made his performance absolutely shine. His performance style was more detached from the audience; instead, he was fully dedicated to transforming the stage into an immersive visual spectacle. I also loved the unapologetic energy he brought to the stage – he joyfully stated that his performance was a place to be “feminine.” Between his pink bejeweled costumes, shirtless backup dancers, and theatrical displays of onstage physical intimacy, I think he surely was successful in challenging the hyper-masculine stereotypes of rap and hip-hop music. In short, as a live performer, he was absolutely unforgettable. In addition to the sheer talent that Lil Nas X displayed, his set was incredibly elaborate and well-produced. It was organized in a three-act structure that reflected the themes present in his 2021 album MONTERO, and it was filled with conflict, drama, and more costume changes that I could keep track of. The audience energy was incredibly high throughout the whole set, erupting at hits like “INDUSTRY BABY” and, of course, “Old Town Road.” Lil Nas X is undoubtedly one of the standout artists of this generation, and I’m so grateful I got to experience his theatrical energy live.
Oct 20, 2022 | ktru
by Alexa Scott
We arrived in Austin at 7pm and after a quick bite at Arlo’s, Austin’s grab-and-go all vegan burger joint (pictured below), we bolted over to the Long Center, which would become our stable parking spot for the rest of the weekend. Although located a mile from the park grounds, we only paid $15 for all day parking and the walk was pleasant, especially during the mass exodus in the night. After a sprint to the ticket pickup only minutes before it closed we were finally in. The ACL gates awaited us.
The Chicks
We arrived at the Austin City Limits grounds just in time to see the Chicks, an American country music band active since 1997. Notably this was The Chicks first ever appearance at a festival, with an appearance at both weekend one and weekend two, performing a two hour set both weekends. We arrived just in time to hear “Traveling Soldier” echoing through the crowd at the American Express Stage, what I’m sure was an absolutely stellar moment for The Chicks after that song was pulled from country stations after it came out. Soon after they followed with “Wide Open Spaces” and “Cowboy Take Me Away” both hits sung by the crowd. Lead vocalist Natalie Maines shared the stage with both her father and son who were playing supporting instrumentals, with her father, famous producer Lloyd Maines, stopping to take a video of the three of them together in a heartfelt moment. This was followed by the Chicks surprising the audience with a cover of “Landslide”, by Fleetwood Mac, during which Martie Maguire and Natalie Maines absolutely shone on the fiddle and omnichord, respectively. This wasn’t the only cover by the Chicks that prime saturday night, with Beyonce’s “Daddy Lessons,” making a feature. The show took a more sober turn as the beginning of “March March” began to play, with the backing visuals showing the locations of shooting and the number of casualties, with the names of victims of gun violence around America also included. The honky tonk country set ended with an absolute fan favorite, “Goodbye Earl” as the crowd’s screams sent them off.
We started our 1 mile trek back to the Long center soons after that, but not before stopping by ACL’s Hydration Stations, basically giant water bottle filling stations developed under the plan to both avoid showgoer dehydration and promote recyclability. Combined with this was the “Rock and Recycle” program which rewarded festival-goers who walked and filled a plastic bag with recyclable cans with a cool t-shirt. For the record, this was actually super effective, wish I had figured out the process earlier.
The next morning we started our day at Bouldin Creek Cafe, a local woman owned vegan/vegetarian restaurant. Where we feasted on their migas breakfast plate and vegan eggs benedict. The star of the show was the vegan blueberry cornbread with vegan butter, it set us up perfectly for the delectable day ahead (pictures obviously included). Traffic, and the cafe wait, caught up to us and we missed spill tab, a French-Korean artist who I was very excited for. I mourned it with the cornbread.
Habibi
We walked into the park just as Habibi was playing on the American Express stage. The all-woman rock band from Brooklyn-based quintet whose psychedelic rock vocals echoed through the field in front. The band’s backdrop pictured an Iranian woman with her fist raised in the air with the words “Women Life Freedom” in the corner, clearly displaying their support for Iranian women. We sat in the field in front of the stage for this performance, laying out on a blanket and allowing the delicious bass lines to wash over us. Although neither of us had heard of Habibi before we were instantly entranced with the red-garbed women on the stage. The group had clear Motown vibes, a nice nod to Habibi’s original Detroit roots. Their set closed with “Come my Habibi,” which is also my recommendation for those looking to get into this stellar band.
Tai Verdes
The set ended and we packed up our things, beelining to Honda stage to line up early for Tai Verdes. The moment his band stepped on stage, the energy was infectious with everyone ready to see the man himself swagger up onto stage. If nothing else, Tai is a Performer and with his initial success attributed to blowing up on TikTok this is no surprise. Throughout the show he was clearly having fun with the crowd, by incorporating the “left side” and “right side” component of audience interaction he had us all screaming the choruses and catchy bits of his songs. Having recently released his debut album “TV,” I was expecting mostly new songs, but he featured a delightful mix of new and old, playing fan favorites like “Stuck in the Middle” and “DRUGS,” which originally garnered him his success on TikTok. The show took a more heartfelt turn during “Last Day on Earth,” where Tai encouraged the audience to chase the things they would if it were their final day, obviously incorporating the aforementioned “left side” “right side” mechanic. The concert ended and the crowd left energized with high spirits, successfully avoiding the 3pm slump.
Samia
Looking for a more chill concert experience after our energized stint with Tai Verdes, we mosied our way over to the Miller Lite stage, where Samia was playing. “It’s going to be pretty sad for pretty much the whole time,” Samia warned us early on – and boy was she right. For those unfamiliar with Samia, she is an alternative singer-songwriter artist from New York, known for her heartfelt and often gut-wrenchingly melancholic music with themes of growing up and drifting apart. The majority of her songs came from her debut album “The Baby,” with the first song of the set also being the first song of the album “Pool.” She followed with “FIt and Full,” an upbeat song that disarmed us for the melancholy ahead. Shockingly transparent about her on-stage nerves, at one point she said, “I can’t believe all of you chose to be here, listening to me,” a clear testament of the humility that sets her apart from other up and coming indie artists. Laying on a blanket, we allowed her beautiful voice to wash over us once again.
Wallows
After Samia we quickly hustled over to catch Wallows at American Express, both ready for lunch and the American alt-rock band that awaited us. ACL was clearly ready for Wallows with a large crowd already there by the time we arrived. We laid out our picnic blanket and munched on our sandwiches, ready for the two hour set list. Early on Wallows surprised the crowd by feeding their song “Sun Tan” into a cover of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” (the crowd loved it, needless to say). Wallows filled their set list with a mix of old and new, despite having recently released their sophomore album “Tell Me That It’s Over.” The band kept it interesting by having Dylan, Braeden, and Cole alternate vocalist responsibilities, with Dylan displaying his ability to play the drums while Cole sang. The set ended with the hit “Are You Bored Yet?,” with Dylan complimenting the crowd as they sang Clairo’s part “You guys sound just like Clairo” (how sweet, but if Dylan had heard me singing this part, he would have not said that).
Lil Nas X
Well fed, and energized we stayed in the area for Lil Nas X, hoping to score a good view of the stage. The effort was successful as 6:05pm hit and we were hit with ACT 1: REBIRTH on the stage screens, setting up what quickly became the most impactful and life changing two hours of my life. Soon after the title flashed on the screen, a futuristic Black queen popped on the screen, introducing herself as the so-called “Wizard of Naz” and establishing herself as the storyteller of the life of our young protagonist “Montero.” At this, Lil Nas X himself stepped onto the stage, settling into the most energetic rendition of “Panini” known to man. Soon after this, the second surprise of the show came along, beautiful, ripped background dancers, glistening in the light of the setting sun. The entirety of ACT I, and the set in general, dripped with sensuality, with Lil Nas X commanding the audience with his performance and presence. Before we knew it, we were in ACT 2: TRANSFORMATION, warranting a costume change for all parties on stage, proving the perfect introduction to a performance of “That’s What I Want,” roared by the crowd. This led us to ACT 3: BECOMING, with the Wizard of Naz herself, welcoming us to Montero and to the dancers crawling on stage as “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” began. Montero himself appeared on stage with yet another costume-change. Here he introduced his upcoming song, “Down Souf Hoes,” inviting the crowd to shake their asses one more time, with a couple of lucky concert goers getting the opportunity to shake ass on stage (shoutout assless chaps). In a heartwarming (as heartwarming as throwing it back and twerking can) moment, the dancers were all introduced in their own solo dance moment. The show ended with the words “LONG LIVE MONTERO,” a reminder that our protagonist’s journey is not over.
FLUME
By this point we were dog tired, but we knew our final battle awaited us….Flume. On the way there we passed a genuine sea of people watching Diplo, by far the densest crowd I had seen at ACL. We knew a similar fate awaited us. A message on the screen promised us good visuals and the crowd roared as Flume took his rightful place between two mixing tables, his side facing us. He started the set off strong with his most popular song, “The Difference” featuring Toro y Moi. The crazy, trippy visuals started from the beginning, with Flume transporting us into a sweaty head bumping rave at the Honda stage of Zilker Park. With his recently released Palaces, we expected nothing less, easily controlling the ebb and flow of the crowd. He had us in his vice grip, till the very end, head banging along with the crowd. The set ended as he thanked us for having him (we would rather no one else Flume).
Exhausted we trekked the mile back and ended our ACL trip the only way we knew how.. a vegan burger at Arlo’s.
Oct 14, 2022 | ktru
by Max Cunningham
This past weekend marked the second post-pandemic iteration of Austin City Limits. This year’s festival spanned a wide variety of genres, with the headliners coming from country, R&B, rock, pop, and EDM. Without further ado, here is my EDM-free list of highlights from each day of the festival.
Friday:
James Blake showcased his limitless vocal range, instrumental prowess, and attention to detail with a light show that perfectly complemented his music. He mostly spent time playing his most recent album, Friends That Break Your Heart, which celebrated a one year anniversary the day after his performance. However, that didn’t stop him from playing crowd favorites like Mile High, which features notable rapper Travis Scott.
Most concertgoers immediately moved over to Omar Apollo’s set. The major highlight of his set was the live band he brought to accompany him, which featured an excellent guitar player who had plenty of time to do solos during the set.
SZA had one of the most enjoyable sets of the weekend. She was clearly taking in the moment of headlining a music festival for the first; she mentioned it at one point and had tears in her eyes, which made for an especially poignant moment. One notable moment during her set occurred during Doves in the Wind, where the visuals behind her were showing a storm and the dancers acted like they were about to be blown away. The clear attention to detail in the choreography, visuals, and stage design made for a particularly enjoyable performance. This was the highlight of Friday.
The Chicks, who were performing on the other side of Zilker Park, also enjoyed a large, very engaged crowd.
Saturday: This day started with a set by rising artist Samia. Her self proclaimed “depressing music” combined with fun dancing and a great live band was a sight to see. On the other side of the park was rapper Tyla Yaweh, who got the crowd going through various tactics such as crowd surfing and running off stage and around the crowd at one moment.
The major highlights of Saturday occurred later in the day. Lil Nas X electrified the crowd with an elaborate display of costumes, highly skilled choreography, and visuals that perfectly augmented his music. It didn’t hurt that he has also released some of the biggest songs of the last few years, including Old Town Road.
Big Boi held his own during the same time slot, performing a fun mix of new songs from Big Sleepover as well as classics like International Players’ Anthem and Ms. Jackson.
My favorite set of the weekend belongs to Houston native, Tobe Nwigwe. He said it was going to be the best, most elaborate performance he has ever done; he did not disappoint. His stage design largely mirrored the cover of his recent EP, moMINTS. It contained a large piano structure, three singers standing on top of it, elaborate floral garments, a choir, and plenty of green foliage that stoked religious imagery akin to the Garden of Eden. Not only did Nwigwe impeccably rap all of the songs he performed (which went for an extra 15 minutes), but he did so alongside his wife, Fat Nwigwe, and their two children. For lack of a better phrase, this performance was truly special. It is a shame there were not more people in the crowd to enjoy the full-scale production he put on. This was the gold standard of festival performances.
Sunday: The Marías had one of the best performances of the day. Their set consisted of excellent vocal performances by María Zardoya and a great trumpet player who had strong solos when called upon. The visuals were mostly slow shots with a similar theme to the CINEMA album cover.
Following them was 6lack, whose set had some strange dichotomies. He had a DJ come out and hype up the crowd and then proceeded to play deeper cuts to a fairly unengaged crowd. It was strange watching people create mosh pits to his sadder songs, but that is becoming more common at rap/R&B performances.
Marcus Mumford was a welcome surprise right before the headlining sets. His voice is truly exceptional live. His inclusion of Danielle Ponder, who performed earlier in the day, was a great addition as well.
The headliners were both excellent on Sunday. Kacey Musgraves commanded the stage through her laundry list of hits; her set also included a cover of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac that was very well received. On the other hand, Red Hot Chili Peppers gained attention through their excellently refined instrumental skills and trippy, psychedelic visuals. It is hard to make a particular critique on either set; both acts are seasoned veterans of touring and have deep catalogs of music that people love.
The sound was big live, too. Her backing band, The Pricetags, kept their sound guy busy mixing and tuning a whole host of guitars in between songs. There were five guitars on stage at times: a bass and a combination of acoustics and electrics. All this shredding didn’t drown out Price in the least; it just set the scene at a necessary scale for her singing. Her voice was majestic, despairing, wistful, or spiteful as the song or line or word demanded. It all swirled together for a tempest of a show ranging from wet-eyed ballads to thunderous rockers.
