Under the vaulted ceiling of Thalia Hall, a syncopated drum beat played while an enraptured audience decked out in “Happy Birthday!” tiaras let out a wholehearted cheer. As lights flashed,a pig-tailed blonde wearing a bright red “001” jersey, neon blue biker shorts and fishnets skipped onto the stage.
Belting “I am not the sun,” singer-songwriter Maude Latour was echoed by a crowd of loyal fans present to attend her “Twin Flame” tour and celebrate her 24th birthday. Latour bounded around the stage under colorful lights while the crowd jumped along. The enthusiasm in the room was electric.
Latour thanked her spectators and promised an epic evening. Then she smoothly transitioned to an arrangement of her quintessential party-starting music, including “Clean,” “Furniture” and “Lunch.” The crowd sang and danced with her, making numbers with their hands during the chorus of “001.”
Latour spoke to her audience with candor between songs, giving a heartfelt speech about love and its different forms; saying almost all of the songs she’s made are about love. She swayed with eyes closed before performing her latest love song, “Heaven.”
After playing a few more upbeat tracks, Latour switched to an intimate acoustic set. Between songs, the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to a blushing Latour. The crowd went silent as she played a heartfelt, tender rendition of “Lovebomb.”
Latour’s dynamic with her fans highlighted the performance, equally as impressive as her musicianship. Before playing “Trees,” Latour split the audience, teaching each half of the room a different background melody. At the end of the song, she cued the audience, running from one side of the stage to the other while the crowd echoed the two melodies harmoniously. Latour boogied along, a grin across her face.
Latour’s crowdworking skills shined when she jumped into the pit and joined the crowd to mosh during the chorus of “Minerals & Diamonds.” She ended with a glorious rendition of her bouncy breakup song “Block Your Number,” during which the crowd got low while the beat built to the pounding chorus.
After the gleeful performance, the crowd high off her ceaseless vivacity, Latour waved goodbye and bounded into the wings. But the audience wasn’t ready to leave yet. Shouts of encore arose, followed by a euphoric roar as Maude returned to the stage with a sparkling outfit change: a metallic pleated skirt and a glittery bikini top to close the night with a bang.
She closed with fan-favorites “Cyclone” and “One More Weekend,” the audience jamming to each note of the encore and cheering as Latour thanked the crowd once more for a magical evening. She blew a kiss and both arms extended to her fans, a fitting ending to a spectacular birthday party.
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