On Feb. 20, Nessa Barett’s Aftercare World Tour hit Boston, Massachusetts. It was my first time seeing Barett live in concert, as well as my first time attending a concert at Roadrunner. I will say that I was not disappointed by either the concert or the venue! Here’s my recap and review of the tour.
Seats
This concert was general admission, and the tickets were only about $50 from Nessa’s website. My friend and I were not particularly concerned with being in the front row, so we didn’t get to the venue until the doors had opened, but we still managed to get a great view of the stage.
Opener
Ariaboul was the opener before Barett went on. I was not familiar with any of her songs, but she and her guitarist put their all into their performance. I think their vibe was such a perfect match for this tour, and both girls are extremely talented.
Setlist
To my surprise (because the Spotify playlist of the setlist I was listening to was incorrect), every song on the album, including the deluxe tracks, was performed. Her first song was “S.L.U.T” followed by “BABYDOLL,” “HEARTBEAT,” “DIRTY LITTLE SECRET,” and “RUSSIAN ROULETTE.” These five songs are from the standard album, and hearing them live was really fun. Her vocals were great, and the crowd eased into the show, energy increasing as the songs went on. The visuals on the screen in the background were also really notable, making the show extremely entertaining.
Next, she sang “AMERICAN BEAUTY” and “LOVE LOOKS PRETTY ON YOU” which were both deluxe tracks. By this point, the music, the band, and her voice were still really great, but I definitely wish she had engaged with the crowd a bit more. I think that this might be something Barett could work on as a performer.
Barett went on to play “MUSTANG BABY” and “PASSENGER PRINCESS,” in which the set had a little change. She pulled out a chair to sit while she sang. Again, nothing spectacular to engage the crowd, but it made sense because of the topics of the songs she was singing. The background visuals continued to be engaging, and the lighting consisted of pink, purple, and blue strobes throughout the show.
She slowed down a little with the songs “KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME BOY” and “DOES GOD CRY?” which have a slower beat. Then, she picked back up with “STAY ALIVE” and “GIVEN ENOUGH” to then go slower again with “EDWARD SCISSORHANDS.”
After this, Nessa played the first song of the night that is not on Aftercare Deluxe: “Heartbreak in the Hamptons.” This was a close second as my favorite part of the show. I love this song so much and wish she played the whole thing (#sadface), but she ran in front of the crowd and used a money gun to shoot fake money into the crowd, which was a fun addition to the show!
She finished off the setlist with “DISCO,” “BREAKFAST IN BED,” “GASLIGHT,” “BLUE VALENTINE,” and “P*RNSTAR.” After these 5 songs, Nessa thanked the crowd, and the lights died. But she wasn’t done yet!
ENCORE
I was honestly fooled for a second and thought the show was over. I knew she hadn’t played my favorite song, which was supposed to be on the setlist, so my friend and I stayed in the crowd.
She came back out to finish off the show with “Scare Myself” and “PINS AND NEEDLES” (my favorite!). To be so honest, “PINS AND NEEDLES” was so therapeutic to scream with the hundreds of other fans in the crowd.
Finally, Nessa ended with the interlude that begins the album “AFTERCARE.” The encore was honestly really great and probably my favorite part of the show. The crowd had the most energy of the night, and using “AFTERCARE” as the outro was a great way to conclude the show.
Rating
Overall, I really enjoyed this concert and would like to see Barett perform live again! I would rate this show a 7/10.