“I’ll make a cup of coffee for your head” was the most annoying lyric to me in 2020.
Hearing Beabadoobee’s irritating, high pitched voice with the obviously staged TikTok trend in the background was headache-inducing.
Little did I know I would rediscover her music at the end of eighth grade, one of the hardest times in my life, and fall in love with her alternative pop style and soothing lyrics. She carried me through high school, and when she announced in January 2025 that she was going on tour again, I knew I had to be there.
Beabadoobee’s concert on April 26 was the most enjoyable show I’ve ever been to. As someone who has listened to her music for years, I felt all sorts of nostalgia and comfort listening to one of my favorite artists live.
I arrived at Toyota Music Factory early to buy merch and try to beat the line. Once the doors opened at 6 p.m., the line that wrapped around the block shrunk, and my friends and I found a nice place to sit on the lawn. The security guard who scanned our tickets gave us a pink slip of paper which said to cover our phone’s flashlight using the slip during “Girl Song.” There were concessions and bathrooms at the back of the lawn that were clean and conveniently nearby.
At 7:30 p.m., the first opening act — indie pop artist Keni Titus — started the show. Her soft and weightless voice harmonized beautifully with the acoustic guitar she was playing. There was a short intermission after she finished until alternative grunge artist Pretty Sick took the stage at 8:15 p.m. Although the artists had different styles, I thoroughly enjoyed them both and added their songs to my playlist.
After another intermission, Beabadoobee came out at 9:20 p.m. She started the show with “California,” one of my favorite songs on her newest album, “This Is How Tomorrow Moves.” The song’s lively style set the mood for the concert. She then proceeded to play “Talk,” the first song of hers that I fell in love with. I sang every lyric, thinking of the way my younger self would be doing the same.
About midway through the performance, I heard the soft piano intro from “Girl Song” and knew it was time to take out my pink slip and flashlight, as everyone around me did the same. The view of thousands of pink lights was beautiful and even brought Beabadoobee to tears as she started singing one of her more serious songs. Hearing her sing the words “just a girl who overthinks about proportions or her waist” made me emotional, too.
Two songs later, she began playing “I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus,” which I didn’t expect since it wasn’t on the setlist. The song has more of a rock style since it’s one of her older songs, and one of my favorites. I screamed the chorus; hearing it live was the best surprise.
She had a fairly small, but talented, band with Eliana Sewell on bass, Luca Caruso on drums and Jason Vance Harris on guitar. They were all talented, but my favorite member by far was Vance Harris. His guitar skills were impressive and the way he hit every note was satisfying. He did multiple tricks throughout the show, like playing part of “Apple Cider” with his guitar behind his head, which amplified the concert experience further. The sound quality of all the instruments was loud and clear, and the lighting perfectly matched the vibe of each song played.
Near the end, Beabadoobee walked off stage, along with her band, tricking everyone into thinking the show was over, but a minute later she came out with an acoustic guitar. She proceeded to play one of her most popular songs “the way things go,” and finished with “See you Soon.” The dainty chords and her soft voice put a smile on my face as I sang, truly taking in the moment.
Hearing the diversity between Beabadoobee’s different albums was like going through a time machine, and hearing her live made me appreciate her raw talent more than I did before. This show was her last stop on tour, and I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to experience it.
