Concert Review: Poppy in Cincinnati, OH

Shelbi Baker
3 days ago
3 min read

The Madison Theatre in Covington, KY was buzzing with Poppy fans lined up around

the block for this stop on the They’re All Around Us Part 2 Tour. Despite the sea of black

attire, it was one of the kindest crowds to be a part of. The small venue felt charming

and inviting as fans gathered for the show in anticipation. Poppy’s openers, MSPAINT

and Dying Wish took the stage first. Both bands were full of energy, with MSPAINT’s

signature synth sound and Dying Wish’s multi-talented lead singer hyping up the crowd

like no other.

Finally, it was time for the show to begin. Poppy’s band entered the stage first, faces

adorned with creepy, skin-like masks, the perfect addition to her eerie aesthetic. After a

brief intro, our queen greeted the crowd with the first song on her new album, “have you

had enough?”. She wore a loose-fitting suit vest and frilly, bloomer-like shorts. Her

microphone and stand were dotted with pink rhinestones. The look was so very, well,

Poppy! Combining macabre and feminine elements is just what she does, and we were

living for it.

Poppy performing "have you had enough?" — Poppy opening the show with "have you had enough?"

After introducing herself to the crowd, she got right into the set with a song from her first

metal album, I Disagree. Throughout the set, Poppy would come back to this album

several times. This time, though, it was “BLOODMONEY”, a song with a repetitive,

catchy hook to get the crowd amped. The red lighting on and off during the performance really enhanced the vibe. Between some songs, scripted segments with Poppy talking to a creepy, disembodied voice (recognizable from Poppy’s YouTube channel) would sometimes play, and they were certainly entertaining.

Next, Poppy played the song she made with Bad Omens, “V.A.N”. Her soft vocals

against booming bass and drums simply can’t be described over text. Even the studio

recordings of this song are nothing compared to hearing it live. Next was my personal

favorite Poppy song, “the cost of giving up”. Despite still being heavy, this one was

emotional. This was definitely the part of the concert where the crowd really lost

themselves in the music. It’s a song that’s impossible not to sing along to, and the

featured single from her newest album, Negative Spaces. Poppy’s next song,

“Anything Like Me” was a fun, rhythmic metal jam to keep the spirits up.

Poppy performing "the cost of giving up" — Poppy singing "the cost of giving up"

I’m sure you know by now, but Poppy has this thing for violently shifting between dark

and light. The music can go from metal to pop in an instant, and that’s exactly what she

did here. Next up was “crystallized”, another of my personal favorites. It’s a strangely

positive sounding song with fittingly ominous lyrics. This one was a lot of fun live and

had the crowd jumping. After “crystallized”, Poppy treated us to two more emotional new

album hits, “vital” and “the center’s falling out”. While “vital” is more melodic, Poppy’s

duality really shined when switching to the intense heaviness of “the center’s falling out”. She also snuck in the song she recently released with Babymetal, "from me to u".

Poppy performing "crystallized"

The next part of the show was more connective, ominous, and macabre in typical Poppy

fashion. She returned to the stage holding a scary mask to fit alongside her song, you

guessed it, “Scary Mask”. Of course, this was all building up to the next three iconic

finale pieces. “I Disagree”, “Bite Your Teeth”, and the masterpiece that is “Concrete”, all

from her first metal album we mentioned earlier. “Concrete” was so much fun live, with

all its musical twists and turns with lighting and performance energy to match. This was

meant to be the show’s ‘fake last song’ as they say, and it delivered.

Finally, it was time for the encore, where we were treated to the tour’s titular song,

“they’re all around us”. This was one of most emotional and intense performances of the

night, which is crazy considering how amazing everything was up to this point. Poppy

also gifted us one last song in “new way out”, a song about finding yourself in a world

that wants you to be anything but. It’s a track that summarizes Poppy’s entire journey in

the limelight, from YouTube star to pop musician, to finding herself in metal. It was truly

the perfect way to end off a night full of excitement.

Poppy performing her encore performance of "they're all around us"

So, what did you think? Would you go see Poppy live? Her tour is continuing worldwide

right now, so grab those tickets while you can! This show is unforgettable. Let us know

your thoughts at any of our socials below!

Written By Shelbi Baker