mxmtoon’s new album Rising drops on May 20, and the singer-songwriter eagerly showcased an array of new tracks for an enthralled crowd in Detroit on May 5th. She recalled previously playing the city in 2019 at a much smaller venue, as she took in the audience at the Majestic Theatre. Chloe Moriondo – a Detroit native – rounded out the bill as the opener.
Here are five moments that stood out from the show:
Chloe Moriondo Gets the Hometown Crowd Moving
The audience showed up early and in force by the time Chloe Moriondo took the stage to open the show. (The crowd cheered especially for the “it’s way too hot in Michigan” line in “Bodybag” early in the set after hearing this was a hometown show.) Elsewhere in the set, her voice shined on “sad and lit at the same time” track “GIRL ON TV,” as well as the bubbly ode to her “blind as shit” dog “Sammy.” Towards the end, “I Want to Be to Be With You” stood out as a slice of pop-punk perfection, with the track toggling between Moriondo’s hushed vocals at the start and the backing band’s rocking instrumental breakdowns, carried by driving guitar riffs and the crash of cymbals.
mxmtoon Plays Unreleased Rising Tracks
The set featured some still-unreleased tracks anticipated for the new album, including a tribute to her grandpa (“florida”), as well as “frown,” “coming of age,” and “learn to love you.”
As mxmtoon introduced the standout “learn to love you,” she explained, “It’s kinda cheesy, but you kick ass – no one can tell you otherwise.” On this positive jam, she showed off a fast vocal flow, and guitarist Keri Prath got the crowd bouncing with a squiggly guitar riff.
Solo Segment
Midway through the set, the backing band briefly departed from the stage. “I love getting to do an acoustic moment in my set,” mxmtoon said. “This is how I got started, with my silly ukulele in my silly room.” (This three-song segment featured “i feel like chet,” “cliché,” and “feelings are fatal.”) On “i feel like chet,” her pristine vocals rose above the gentle strums, as the crowd sang along in quiet tones. On “cliché,” she cracked a big smile as the fans showed off that they knew all the words. And on “feelings are fatal,” the audience greeted mxmtoon with a sea of lights waving back and forth.
Crowd Engagement
The coordinating lights wasn’t the only moment of crowd engagement – mxmtoon had plenty of banter and strong stage presence throughout.
She pushed the mic toward the crowd to sing along on the pulsing “fever dream,” got the fans to wave their arms in sync with her powerful vocals on “almost home,” and showed off her dance moves as she strafed across the stage on “sad disco.”
And on a more serious note, she quickly paused the show after “ok on your own” when the crowd seemed to indicate a fan was in distress – and later updated the crowd that the person was OK.
Finishing on a High Note
The main set finished on a high note with the grand instrumentation of “bon iver.” The crowd cheered wildly as mxmtoon held a strong sustained note midway through and once again unleashed their cell phones into a constellation of lights. The band left the stage, but were quickly drawn back by cheers of “Maia! Maia!”
mxmtoon wrapped up the set with a two-song encore, featuring “prom dress” and “mona lisa.” On the former, the crowd expertly snapped and clapped along exactly like in the recording, while mxmtoon led an emphatic singalong. And the latter track (another Rising cut) leaned heavily on its lush, chamber pop flourishes.
“This is my last song of the night,” mxmtoon told the crowd. “So you better sing as loud as you possibly can!”
The fans gladly obliged, shouting back the words, with the stage lights pulsing dramatically before the jubilant coda.
