POPPY AT THEATER OF THE LIVING ARTS IN PHILADELPHIA, PA
Poppy took a stop in Philadelphia this past weekend as part of her “Am I a Girl?” tour with Flint Eastwood. I was saddened when the tour was first cancelled back in the fall, but immediately relieved to see that it had been rescheduled. I found myself sucked down the Poppy YouTube hole not long prior and knew that I had to see her if I had the chance.
Opening up for Poppy on this tour was Flint Eastwood, from Detroit who brought along a feisty attitude and a spunky demeanor. Not entirely my cup of tea music wise, but looking from a performance aspect, she absolutely nails it. She knew how to get the crowd moving and having a good time. This act definitely gave me the challenge of a lifetime with how little stage lighting there was, but it created a really cool atmosphere and gave a very underground feel.
When Poppy took the stage, I could feel the swell of joy emanating from the audience. The majority of the front row was dressed in their finest Poppy merch and was going crazy. Just as expected, Poppy’s set was a wild ride from start to finish. The thing that drew me in to her from YouTube was how borderline uncomfortable her videos are, but you can’t look away. Her stage presence is exactly the same way in between songs. The very robot-like voice stays, but it appears as though she’s brought to life through her music. She loosens up and dances across the stage, while pumping out the hits that her fans love. One of the most memorable moments of the show was right before performing “Computer Boy”, when a skull and crossbones appeared on the screen behind her. Poppy started talking in that hypnotic voice, asking audience members if they trust her with their lives, and “will they drink the Poppy juice?” before handing out cups with some kind juice in them. It was creepy from an outsider’s perspective but made me so excited to see such an awesome and special way to get fans involved in the show. In her encore, “Pop Music” was such a delicate, sweet, and angelic sounding song to hear live as she took the stage alone for the most part. This was quite different from “X” which she ended with, where audience members started some sort of mosh pit.
I would highly recommend catching Poppy on her “Am I a Girl?” tour if you can. If I could make it out for another date I absolutely would. The entire show was so entertaining visually and musically you can’t help but find yourself on your feet dancing and bopping along to the hits Poppy has brought onto her setlist.
Nicole DiBenedetto is a photographer based out of New Jersey. She likes making new friends and meeting new people so catch her out in the pit and say hi!