Would there be Kool-Aid, or would there be blood? The answer was Kool-Aid.
What should fans expect when YouTube star Poppy performs her hits – a refreshingly healthy dose of sugar-pop meets hardcore – on a real stage in front of real fans? Is she a girl? Is she as talented as her music makes her out to be? The answers are maybe and a resounding yes.
Alt pop duo Flint Eastwood, aka Jax Anderson and her brother Seth, opened the night, announcing their 30-minute “warm-up” before the queen took the stage. Warm-up was an understatement. If you haven’t seen Flint Eastwood perform, you’re missing out on a really good time (dancing shoes required). The highlight of their performance was LGBTQ anthem “Real Love,” which was accompanied by a heart-warming montage.
With the power of “Real Love” under their wings, Poppy fans were ready for the main event. If there was any hint of uncertainty in the crowd, it was kept away under wraps. Over the years, Poppy rose to viral fame with a series of abstract YouTube videos directed by Titanic Sinclair, who has a far from rosy reputation. Poppy’s shaky history with other artists can have you peering through a deep rabbit-hole of he saids, she saids. You can’t help but wonder what the real Poppy is like and what she stands for. But if she told us, she wouldn’t quite be Poppy anymore, would she? After all, she’s a product of a factory, a sterile place where they made her. Perhaps this is getting just a little too real.
Without disappointment, Poppy delivered an energy-packed performance that was nothing short of spectacular. Alongside her band – decked out in messy, bleached wigs and red lipstick, and including Titanic Sinclair himself – Poppy charmed the audience with the same adoration her fans were showing her.
She sauntered across the stage in true Poppy fashion wearing a flowy, white mini dress. She jumped onto the speakers to belt her ballads and took her time purveying the stage before carefully hopping back down. She layed all of her awkwardness on the table in adorable sincerity, even during songs like X – which led to a full-fledged mosh pit. She also handed out Poppy-beverages, aka Kool-Aid, to some lucky ones in the front row.
Poppy played all of the crowd pleasers including “Time is Up (feat. Diplo),” “Play Destroy (feat. Grimes),” and “Chic Chick” off her Am I a Girl album (released in October of last year) and “Bleach Blonde Baby,” “Computer Boy,” and “My Microphone” off the Poppy.Computer album. She also performed a cover of “Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd. The encore included “Pop Music,” a beautifully quiet rendition of “Dreams” by The Cranberries, and “X” – closing the night on an adrenaline rush.
Poppy’s music lets the bad boys feel like princesses and the good girls give into their most exhilarating rage. She invites us to indulge in the best of both worlds.
Men dressed up in their leather hats, Poppy wigs, and Poppy-themed capes, and women sported their teddy bear backpacks, neon boots, and Poppy-heart wands. One fan muttered a hope-filled, “C’mon, Poppy,” just before the star hit the stage. It all just kind of fit together – united under Poppy’s magic spell.
Poppy paused between songs to say a bashful “I love you” or “I’m Poppy” only to hear the same words echoed back. “No, I’m Poppy,” she assured herself. “No, I’m Poppy,” asserted her fans.
Some might find the adoration creepy, but Poppy’s craft is just that good. Luckily, fans aren’t coming out covered in blood just yet. Maybe give it some time.
