Hello Rams! Welcome back to Concert Capsule, where you live the music through the writing. I am back to recap the casually hypnotizing and radiantly magnetic Charm Tour by Clairo.
To say I was anticipating this concert with every bone in my body would be an understatement. Clairo is known at a surface level for indie-pop hits “Pretty Girl” and “Sofia,” but if you begin to extract the layers album by album, you will find a discography filled with sheer excellence. The vulnerability found in “Sling” is responsible for polarizing me into becoming a fan of her music. In addition, I have embarrassingly already totaled over a thousand plays across tracks included in her newest album “Charm.”
So yes, I was excited.
Clairo would debut the tour with a 5-day residency at the Los Angeles Fonda Theater. I shamelessly made sure to attend the third night of the residency because as they say, the “Third Time’s The Charm.” I had purchased a general admission pit ticket and once let in from the queue, I managed to be only five rows from the stage.
Opening the show with “Nomad” and “Second Nature” would reveal a decision to switch up her song’s orchestral landscape for the concert, differentiating them from their original instrumental melodies.
I was living for the change in production! I felt that the transition of sound rebirthed these songs into a jazzier environment previously unexplored. Something I always admired about music was its ability to be broken down and rebuilt into something just as beautiful.
Continuing the renditions into her older catalog, she’d perform “Flaming Hot Cheetos” and “Softly.” Flaming Hot Cheetos landing itself a spot on the setlist spawned a surprised uproar from the crowd. In a previous touring cycle, Clairo had a running joke of having a fan from the crowd combat her in a game of rock paper scissors, if the fan claimed victory, she’d perform the beloved song in honor of them.
Back to the concert at hand, she’d perform “Add Up My Love,” one of my favorites off the new record. The songwriting in the song is enriched by the emotions that are rooted from questioning; belittling herself over whether her devotion is ever enough for someone else. As an audience, the crowd showed out especially for this song, chanting on chorus by chorus, verse by verse, and lyric by lyric.
She’d later credit us for our glee, “Y’all are the best crowd so far.”
As much of a good time I was having, once the heart-imploding trilogy of “Slow Dance,” “Partridge,” and “Pier 4” began, a tear or two admittedly streamed down my cheek.
It could’ve been the fragile resonation I had built to Partridge in the growing years of my life, or maybe the feeling of abandonment that is portrayed in the lyricism of Slow Dance, or perhaps the utter soul-bearing chorus of Pier 4 that never fails to make my heart feel like a boxer’s personal punching bag, but in the heat of the moment, this triple-feature stuck out to me. Nonetheless, this only proves Clairo’s ability to extract emotion from a listener, showcasing her strength as a music composer.
Enough of my weeping, Clairo made me wanna go dancing! Choosing to close the show with her recent hit “Juna” exceeded what was already an amazing show. Out of any performance throughout the night, without a doubt, this was the most special. I filmed a video of this performance with my tiny point-and-shoot camera and due to its older technology, the video manufactured itself with a comically loud bass. As I found the end result hilarious, I uploaded it online. Little did I know, the video would amass over 2 million views on TikTok, leading to Clairo herself viewing, liking, and reposting my video on the social media platform.
I have been charmed! Clairo’s jazzy production made for a bewitching show on all accounts. Hearing these songs live in such an intimate venue will be remembered as echoes in my mind, cherished for lifetimes. Til next time, Charm Tour!
