Like a moth to a flame, the crowds of Madelena Bay fans gathered in the House of Blues, abuzz as they waited for the setlist to come.Before the concert started, the lines leading to the venue is where I caught the idea for the type of night I was going to have. It wouldn’t be a true concert if the fans didn’t dress up as the artist in intricate, extravagant outfits to match the event. I crossed paths with angels and human flowers, and saw the deepest sea of blues, whites and greens in the outfits across the venue.
The opener, Oxis, started the night off with a calming yet somewhat disorienting ambience. With the lights dimmed and the performer surrounded by various techy instruments, I didn’t know what to expect. I was immediately captivated by their intricate design, both musically and stylistically—from the set design to the music itself. . From their first track “Jawless” from off their newest album Oxis 7, I was in awe of the focused state they were in during the entire performance. One of the later tracks, their newest release, “Long Sardine x Mr Bightside,” is a remix of their own single and the infamous song by The Killers. This stood out the most to me not only because it was the most recognizable track, but also because of the suddenly more intense nature of the song their electronic remix introduced. Oxis felt like a perfect send-off to the main performer, Magdalena Bay, who took to the stage not soon after.
The artist duo, Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin, have built up a whole new image since first entering the music scene in 2016 (wink wink). Making their tenth stop on their Imaginal Mystery Tour in Dallas, After the high Oxis left us with, people buzzed with excitement for the show to start. My introduction to Magdelena Bay was in 2020 with their single, “Killshot,” which was present in every playlist I had that was remotely upbeat. As they grew, there was a shift in their sound, transitioning into a more futuristic and synth-pop feel seen in tracks like “Image” and more niche ones albums like The Ballad of Matt & Mica. Their Imaginal Mystery Tour was focused on their album Imaginal Disk—by far, one of my favorite albums of theirs. It was the perfect soundtrack to the previous summer, but seeing it live brought its liveliness into the fall season. With their synthesizers and keyboard, they stepped away from more manufactured sounds and built a weird, psychedelic sound onstage right before us.
Did I expect pizazz? Yes. Did I expect energy? Also yes. And they did not disappoint on stage. The outlandish set design and various costume changes brought the music to life right before my eyes. What was a concert felt more like a vivid dream I wouldn’t be able to describe the next morning. The transitions between each song felt seamless, with breaks dedicated to costume changes as Mica comes out with new masks and an overhead flower hat to complement the following song. The night ended with their song “The Beginning” off their 2022 Mercurial World album, leaving everyone in the venue with an adrenaline high and leftover glitter.
