I would like to consider myself experimental when it comes to my music taste.
I dabble in a little bit of everything but I would say I wasn’t able to put my finger on what our opener, Kassie Krut presented to me this night. It’s not out of the ordinary for me to never know who is opening any show I attend but I was definitely not expecting what I listened to. Kassie Krut is an indie rock band, who honestly had a presence that I couldn’t describe. The three members appear in the dark suddenly with heavy red lights masking any facial features. Their music felt layered that you’d have to dissect to hear each instrument alone. There honestly were moments where I was trying to figure out when the song would end as there were endless loops that would go on till the next set. Nonetheless, their music was enough to keep the audience engaged in their intentions with each chord they played along the way. I am able to say their style of Indie Rock broke my expectations and while I don’t think they necessarily top billboard 100 in my room, they are in someone else’s.
The second act of the night was Panda Bear: an artist I had never heard of but was intrigued by how they would compliment Toro’s set. Transitioning from a dark mysterious ambience to a more playful energy, changing the demeanor of the venue. The audience was hopeful for a change of sound and faces, but I was most taken aback by the background graphics of colorful brain-rot infused content that admittedly did distract me at times during the concert but it did add to the ambiance. There wasn’t much interaction with the audience or introduction so the band got straight to work with their first song, “Song for Ariel.” A crowded stage of keyboards, guitars, drums and a cute tambourine, which were responsible for helping each song to flow perfectly into one another, bringing a new sound and feel to their songs.
A thick haze suddenly prevented me from seeing the transition between the next set. A small yet classy set up of various instruments and gadgets on stage, lit by a soft spotlight, was soon joined by the singer Toro y Moi. His comforting voice greeted the audience. As soon as he got his set started, the audience (including me) shot up immediately, due in part to the blinding lights, but also because of vocalist Chaz Bear’s attention. Toro y Moi’s 2022 album Mahal was my reason to see him live, and it was a truly fulfilling experience to hear his energetic and angelic sound live. He performed various songs off of his newest album Hole Earth (2024) including “Tuesday” and “Madonna”. Besides the music occupying my senses, the ambient soft pink, purple and yellow lighting and fog that hovered the stage was harmonious to the performance overall. Although there was a disconnect between him and the audience at times with the performance mainly taking place in the middle of the stage, his stage presence alone shifted the environment to be more interactive and engaging. His song “The Difference,” his 2020 single featuring Flume, was a predictable but tasteful and satisfying ending to the night.
Looking back on my experience, I was a little doubtful to how the two performers before Toro were meant to either balance or lead up to the main performer but I personally felt that it slowed the experience as someone who came to the show to watch Toro perform. The genre shifts throughout were a great display of a variety of tastes that could appeal to a diverse audience but I felt a little disoriented from the whiplash of genre shifts. But in the end, I left the venue that night wanting to get back into my Toro y Moi phase, in dire need of water and filled with the urge to be more experimental with my music taste.
