Beabadoobee: Concert Review
By Karenna Umscheid
An hour before doors opened, a line wrapped down the block of the Royale, only a 5 min jog through the cold from Emerson campus. As the crowd— which primarily consisted of college-aged women who love bedroom pop/indie rock filled into the room, packed excitedly as close to the stage as possible.
When the first opening act began, energy was high. Black Star Kids’s upbeat energy in their blend of hip-hop, rap, and indie rock, and their inclination to speak to the crowd was cheerfully welcomed. Their set began to feel quite long, as concertgoers became anxious for the main act. Yet, there was a second opening act, and Christian Leave, known for his popularity on the app Vine, played a much slower tune, and his set was significantly shorter than the first.
Though the opening acts seemed to tire out the crowd more than excite them, there was still a strong buzz of anticipation for the beloved Beabadoobee.
When Beabadoobee finally took to the stage, guitar slung around her person, she serenaded the crowd with “Sun More Often.” Hands waved in the air and heads nodded to the beat. She flowed gracefully from one song to the next, graduating to “Care”, “Dye It Red”, and “Together.” Those three songs are fantastically upbeat, and rock-based, off of her latest album Fake It Flowers. “Care” and “Dye It Red” in particular were loved by the crowd. Those numbers were followed by “Disappear,” a sadder and slower tune which she followed by saying “that was fucking depressing to play!”
The general admission concert was energetic yet entirely respectful. Most attendees were conscious of whether those behind them had a good enough view, and obliged when people squeezed ahead, claiming they were meeting a friend.
Beabadoobee’s rock jams are best enjoyed with the highest energy possible, making hits like “Yoshimi, Forest, Magdalene” and “He Gets Me So High” extremely amplified in all ways at the concert. As she floated through her recent discography, packing a hyper punch in each song, she takes small moments to interact with the crowd. Simply walking to the front of the stage to smile beautifully brought bouts of applause and a shot of extra energy for the audience.
She finished her main set with the song “Last Day on Earth,” a fitting and fun finale. But It didn’t take much chanting for Beabadoobee to return to the stage for the encore. She began singing her popular, slow hit “Coffee,” though she messed up on the first verse and cutely restarted the song. Finally, she trades her acoustic guitar for an electric one, and closes the concert with the upbeat, fun song “Cologne.” Her fiery strumming and spunky voice end the show in the most perfect song, filled with love and longing set to a highly enjoyable beat.
Beabadoobee brought the crowd to life, and though the unwhelming music and tiring nature of the opening acts dampened the energy, she was still able to create a great night. The friendly and cordial general admission crowd allowed all to have an enjoyable time. Necks were sore from craning for the view or bobbing heads back and forth, but the pain was worth it for a night with Beabadoobee, her guitar, and gorgeous voice.