By Kevin Lei
After Ryan Beatty dropped his third album Calico last April, I eagerly awaited the announcement of a tour. Calico was an intimate and stripped-back album for the singer—a project that showcased his spectacular skills as a 
songwriter and vocalist. In the months following the album’s release, Beatty treated his fans to live performances of several tracks on his YouTube channel. Additionally, in the fall, he embarked on a short run of concerts in select cities. Having seen various video clips from those gorgeous live shows, I eagerly jumped at the opportunity to see him at White Oak Music Hall in Houston when he announced his full North American tour in October.
The Calico tour has no openers. This meant that, for better or for worse, everyone in attendance was there to give their full attention to Beatty. It also meant that after the doors opened, we didn’t have to stand around for long before Beatty took the stage.
The show felt as if I was sitting in his living room listening to Beatty and his friends jam out on the couch. That is to say the Calico tour, like the album, is incredibly intimate. There was zero theatrics; Beatty would say a few words between songs but besides that, he let the songs speak for themselves. There was no jumping around or dancing; in fact, Beatty remained seated for 95% of the show. There was no stage design and no lighting changes; there was just a soft glowing light that surrounded Beatty and his band. The simplicity of the show allowed the songs and Beatty’s voice to shine.
All nine tracks from Calico were included in the setlist. To start, Beatty played the first five tracks all in a row, from “Ribbons” to “Bright Red.” I’d consider this entire run of tracks to be a highlight of the show. On songs like “Andromeda” and “Bright Red,” Beatty and his band sounded as good, if not better, than the original recordings. The live instrumentation added a new dimension to the sound and aesthetic. And of course, Beatty’s voice was breathtaking. There was chatter among the audience between songs, but when Beatty began to sing, the crowd would go silent as everyone sought to take in every note. Later on, Beatty shared that he was recovering from illness and might sound rougher as a result. He did awkwardly skip a few lines in certain tracks, possibly to reduce his strain. But based on his voice alone, I could not tell. The clearness of his voice was mesmerizing.
Before performing the remainder of Calico, Beatty treated longtime fans to acoustic renditions of tracks from his past albums, 2020’s Dreaming of David and 2018’s Boy in Jeans. Hearing him perform energizing and
lush songs like “Powerslide” as slow poetic ballads was a unique experience, but I did feel that some of these tracks worked better in their original forms. Overall, I think Beatty sounded slightly insincere while performing his older tracks, which makes sense since he made a significant artistic evolution on his recent album and is no doubt a different person than he was in 2020, let alone 2018. The one exception was the performance of “Casino,” which was another gorgeous moment.
To conclude the show, Beatty played the remaining four tracks from Calico. With this, I think the concert ended on a high note. In particular, “White Teeth” did not disappoint as an emotionally potent closer to a beautiful concert. I was grateful for the opportunity to attend Beatty’s tour and hear him and the band play Calico live. After leaving the show, I couldn’t help but feel that the Calico album was meant to be heard in a live setting; I hope Beatty records and releases a live album so that more people will get the opportunity to hear the songs live.
