“Hello, It’s so nice to see you. We met before, but nice to meet you…”
“People I Don’t Like” singer-songwriter UPSAHL is difficult to forget. Even as an opener for artists like Tove Lo and Yungblud, her eclectic and empowering performances are indelible. UPSAHL recently returned to headline Boston’s Paradise Rock Club on her “Melt Me Down” tour for another noteworthy and undiluted performance.
Opener Zoe Ko set the tone for the night with her unapologetic and charged set. She fended off mean girls with her latest single “Kiss My (Ahh)” and transformed the intimate Boston venue into a bumping New York City nightclub with “DIRT.”
Conor Burns kept the crowd amped with his frenzied set showcasing his distinct movement. Burns utilized the entire stage, whether he was kicking his legs, doing backbends, or throwing the mic stand over his shoulder to songs like “Mansion On A Hill.”
Similar to Ko and Burns, UPSAHL isn’t one to hold back, especially when it comes to live shows. “It’s like my favorite thing in the whole world to do is to go to concerts, but only if I just completely let myself go for the whole show,” UPSAHL revealed to the crowd before starting her two part set: ice and fire.
To kick off the chill vibes of act one, she requested, “do me a favor, close your eyes, don’t cheat. Breathe in, breathe out and think to yourself for the next hour, ‘I’m going to let all my f*cks fly out the window. I don’t care how I look. I don’t care how I dance. I don’t care if my makeup or my hair gets f*cked up. I’m going to be present, I’m going to rage,’” And rage they did.
Illuminated by the glow of an ice cube neon sign, UPSAHL got fans dancing and singing along to her latest release “Tears on the dancefloor.”
Sporting a frosted blue puffer, UPSAHL continued through 15 songs, which included favorites like “All My Friends Are Rich” and “MoneyOnMyMind.”
Things really started to heat up in act two: fire. UPSAHL returned to the stage in a red puffer coat with a pleather two piece as the flames ignited on the neon sign behind her.
The 14 song second act kicked off with “summer so hot,” and continued with songs like “1235Sex” and “Lunatic.”
Openers Zoe Ko and Conor Burns returned for a high energy performance of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Heads Will Roll.” Another nice surprise was a duet between UPSAHL and her sister, Ryan, who performed “Arizona,” a tribute to the place that shaped them.
Whether behind a guitar at center stage or holding a microphone side stage, UPSAHL held the audience’s gaze, even when she unexpectedly jumped into the crowd to mosh.
UPSAHL closed the set with “Drugs,” before returning for a two song encore. For those who “came to the party for the drugs,” it was hard not to get high off the energy of UPSAHL and her loyal fanbase who sang every word back to her.
From the roaring applause, it was clear that the crowd was looking forward to the next time they’d get to meet up with UPSAHL.
Join UPSAHL on the “Melt Me Down” tour! Tickets available here.
