Onstage, a giant snake hovers over a drum with the words “FUCK ICE” plastered on it with washi tape. Distorted tinfoil trees sway with trunks like giant fingers. It isn’t an acid trip- it’s Briston Maroney.
On June 14th, artist Briston Maroney and his band took over Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, accompanied by the indie pop band Peach Pit. Devin Badgett accompanied Maroney on guitar, Nathan Knox on drums and keys, and Zack Lockwood on bass. The Tennessee-based band showcased their energy and grit with a dreamlike set that took the crowd on an emotional odyssey of sounds and visuals.
Mahoney used his song “Tomatoes” as one of his openers, a song from his new album “JIMMY.” “JIMMY” explores Mahoney’s teenage years in his split adolescence between Knoxville, Tennessee, and Tallahassee, Florida, where his two parents lived separate lives. “Tomatoes” has little snippets of the chaos and quirks from his teenage years, like picking out a plot at a graveyard; “Now I’m at the graveyard/ picking out my grave at the graveyard/ which one’s closest to my front door.” His lyricism is a blend of straightforward and subliminal, encapsulating the often-confusing haze of adolescence. The lyricism can be gutting, like in “June”: “Ain’t it funny how I wanted this all my life?/ Ain’t it funny how I got it here and it doesn’t seem right?/ Ain’t it funny how we all want to be someone new?/Ain’t it funny how I fell in love and then came June?” The childlike backdrop of his set engulfs him. At the same time, he questions some of the most poignant realities of adolescence, a tribute to the duality of being a teenager and feeling split between childhood and adulthood.
The concert was sprinkled with interludes and surprises that kept the audience on their feet. Mid-set, Mahoney asked the audience, “Are you guys staying warm in this chilly weather?” and proceeded to ignite a faux campfire. An unofficial member of the band, Dougal, came onstage to play the violin, adding a depth to their 2019 hit “Caroline”, with the gut-wrenching lyrics, “Change is hard/But it’s gonna take you far.” It was followed by a theatrical interlude that resembled a YouTube meditation session, with a loud, anonymous voice that commanded the audience to take several deep breaths.
The voice echoed, “Thank you for opening up your mind and body,” followed by a loud gong and an exhausted exhale from Mahoney seconds before beginning his most energy-packed song from the entire set, where he pretended to fight with the guitarist.Their second to last song “Be Yourself” encapsulated teenage angst, “I just want to be myself/I’m so tired of hiding it” while the final encore revved the audience back up with the band’s most famous song, “Freaking Out On the Interstate.” The show concluded its carefully conducted emotional rollercoaster on a hopeful note with the lyrics “Fear is just a part of love/And one thing I found/Is love is what you deserve.”
