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FIRST NIGHT | POP

Madison Beer review — adrenaline-fuelled, riotous fun

Eventim Apollo, W6
Madison Beer was “swallowed up by the glossy production and space-themed visuals”
Madison Beer was “swallowed up by the glossy production and space-themed visuals”
SOPA IMAGES/LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES

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Madison Beer was destined to be a Gen Z idol from the moment Justin Bieber tweeted her cover of Etta James’s At Last, when she was just 13. Since that first viral moment, her time in the spotlight has been rocky. Now 25, Beer struggled to shed her Disney child star image, and has written about feeling suicidal after Snapchat nudes, taken when she was a teenager, were leaked. Her latest album, Silence Between Songs, released last year, was a chance to reflect on all the noise.

Opening with Home to Another One, an ethereal single from the album, the New Yorker could hardly be heard. Her whispery voice was lost under her two-piece band and the thousands of teenage girls screaming every word back to her. Despite looking every inch the pop star in a white sequined lace minidress and matching leg warmers, Beer lacked stage presence, swallowed up by the glossy production and space-themed visuals. Her failure to command the stage culminated in a sustained out-of-tune note on Sweet Relief, a moment that should have been a chance to flex her vocal power.

Beer told her audience she loved them, complimenting fans’ signs and repeating how grateful she was. By the midpoint of her 90-minute set her nerves had eased and she sounded stronger, looking a natural as she strutted across the stage flicking her hair. Tyler Durden, named after the character in Fight Club, the singer’s favourite film, provided a pared-back acoustic moment. Beer’s soothing voice hit its sweet spot as she sang, “That’s why this shit ain’t never working for me,/ ’Cause I’m in love with a fantasy.”

The last few songs were adrenaline-fuelled riotous fun. The hypnotic energy of Make You Mine, a sultry ode to infatuation, had everyone jumping in unison. Boyshit followed and Beer was fierce on this high-energy diss-track, sporting a pink cowboy hat handed to her by a fan. She closed the night draped in Union and Pride flags while confetti rained down. What Beer lacked vocally at the start she more than made up for in a joyful finale.
★★★☆☆
Touring the UK and Ireland to April 2

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