Briston Maroney and Genevieve Stokes Steal the Show at The Troubadour

indieshow reviews

Feb 26

After a last minute invite to a show from an artist I knew nothing about, all I can say is that I am now a fan of Briston Maroney.

Set in the famous West Hollywood nightclub, The Troubadour, Briston Maroney’s sold out show featured rising artist Genevieve Stokes. Stokes came out and from the get go, I knew she possessed a raw talent that every lyric she sang came from her heart. Starting her set, Stokes came with her wavy hair pinned back, a dark blazer, and brown cowboy boots.

With a bright light shining directly on the artist, she looked like an angel on stage. She shyly smiled, introducing herself, and starting her set. She was incredibly intimate with the fans, making eye contact with us even from the balcony. Before this show, I had never even heard of Genevive Stokes, but I enjoyed her music, and she is more than talented in both her vocals and instrumentals.

Behind the artist shined the iconic neon blue Troubadour sign that contrasted with the pink lights shining on her. For Stoke’s set in particular, her mic could have been turned up a little more, with drums and synth at times drowning out her voice. I would have loved to hear her voice a little more.

Her standout performance, however, was towards the end of her set. She sang a couple unreleased songs—I always enjoy when artists share unreleased music, it feels like a shared connection between the artist and crowd. Her last song, "Habits,” another one of her unreleased songs, was beautifully sung. I could hear and feel the emotions along with her as she opened up her heart to the crowd. Her lyrics as well as the instruments painted a memory and her performance was incredibly vulnerable and moving. Stokes and her band finished their set around 9:40 with the crowd cheering them on.

It was time for the main act: Briston Maroney. Around 10 PM, the set crew began stripping the sets of their covers to reveal strings of twinkling lights and sunflowers. I can only really describe the set as magical. Maroney came running out with a few members who he later introduced as Nathan on drums, Zach on bass, and Devin on guitar. Maroney had amazing chemistry with Devin in particular, the two of them jamming out like best friends. It was truly special to experience and feel the music, dancing in the crowd.

Each member in the band held great stage presence and proved to have good chemistry with each other. Maroney’s performance was like a burst of positive energy that he shared with the crowd who sang and danced to every lyric he sang. Not having heard much of Briston’s music, I can say that a lot of it is upbeat— something you could find yourself dancing to in your bedroom when no one is looking.

Towards the later half of the show, Maroney charmed the crowd alone with a slow song. With the artist’s romantic lyrics, the crowd swayed in each other’s arms along to the tune of the electric guitar.

The first half of the set had slower songs, but the music picked up. Briston made the crowd burst into laughter when he said, “Let’s rock…respectfully rock.” After those 4 words, the crowd’s energy doubled. Throughout the rest of the night the fans were singing, dancing, jumping, and swaying all around the room. It was a great time listening to them play live.

Out of all the concerts I have been to, this one, specifically, reminded me that nothing beats live music.

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