madilyn mei
a night with madilyn mei
Walking into the show, I felt out of place, but it was clear that other (younger) people felt right at home. With more clowns than not in the small space, I found myself second-guessing my leather jacket and Free People top. And yet, no one gave me a second look. It was clear that Madilyn inspired her crowd to be themselves loudly and unabashedly.
The opener was a surprise, given the vibe of Madilyn’s music. Amelia Day was a joy to listen to, performing with just herself and her guitar. She reminded me a lot of a young Maggie Rogers, with a hand-on-heart honesty in her songs combined with a genuine excitement to share her music with the crowd.
Madilyn was a one-woman circus. With just herself and two large hands looming above her, she stayed on her pedestal like a puppet and performed. Mei sounded almost identical to her recorded vocals, but seeing those sounds come out of a clown’s mouth was an entirely different experience. She took the crowd on a journey of highs and lows throughout her set, and they were right there with her the whole time. Despite the small venue, she stayed on track with practiced ease and did not interact with the audience as much as the opener, Amelia Day, had. Overall, she reminded me of a young Melanie Martinez, someone who has found her niche and built a movement around it.
I loved the intimacy of the venue and how the crowd seemed to silently agree to live in the moment together during the show. There was room to dance, no one was on their phone, and people genuinely seemed to be having fun hearing her music. I did not love that I was probably closer in age to the dads than to the majority of the crowd. However, I think the space that Madilyn creates is essential for young people to have.
