On October 21st, the Orpheum Theater in Boston transformed into Melanie Martinez’s “K-12” classroom, as part of her 2019 tour.
On a towering screen, a teacher appeared as the room filled with the scent of oranges.
“Hello class,” the teacher’s voice echoed. “Welcome to K-12.”
True to Martinez form, the sweet intro took a dark turn as the white of the teacher’s eyes disappeared and a deeper voice introduced Lesson 1: Bus Etiquette. The lights brightened and “Wheels on The Bus” faded in; bringing the audience to their feet.
Facing cheers, Melanie joined her dancers in front of a pastel backdrop, all sporting matching costumes reminiscent of Late Baroque Rococo.
Guided by lessons including “Community Over Competition” and “Find Validation Within Yourself,” the audience was led through 13 years of fictional education. The “K-12” set included songs like “Nurse’s Office” and “Show & Tell.”
Lights, sounds, scents, sets, and props transported the audience from classrooms to gardens and to the depths of the sea. During the performance of “Orange Juice,” an orange scent once again was pumped into the venue as Melanie peeled an orange and threw it into the crowd.
Martinez closed this unusual concert by urging the crowd to “Come on,” turning the mic toward the crowd and yelled “get your lights out.”
Confetti rained down as Melanie thanked everyone and noted that ” If there’s anything that you take out of this show, it’s that you learn to love yourself – treat yourself with respect and treat others with respect.”
After a brief break, Melanie returned to the stage for an encore to sing songs from her previous album, “Cry Baby.”