Walking toward the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Thursday, I half expected Melbourne’s famously unpredictable weather to soak us in a last-minute downpour.
The show kicked off with Los Bitchos, whose entirely instrumental set made me feel like I’d stumbled into a fun, otherworldly dream. Their surf rock riffs, blended with Latin-inspired beats, were both playful and hypnotic.
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Glass Beams followed soon after. Dressed in their trademark bejewelled masks, the three-piece unit wove together Eastern-influenced melodies, looped synth lines, and pulsing basslines that reverberated across the venue.
The stage lighting danced with their swirling projections, and the resulting fusion of sound and visuals felt as though we’d all been invited to a secret, transcendental gathering. Their set was equal parts dreamy and intense.
The sun was just setting by the time Leon Bridges and his seven-piece band stepped onto the stage. Bridges emerged in flared white pants, tan suede tassels, and those signature cowboy boots, launching straight into tracks from his latest album, Leon.
For those of us craving that sweet Leon Bridges–Khruangbin collaboration, Mariella and Texas Sun did not disappoint, transporting us to desert highways and sun-drenched afternoons. Each note glided over the crowd, the groove so deep that people were dancing, cheering, and clutching each other in collective euphoria.
Even though there were thousands of us, it felt extraordinarily intimate, as if he was sharing a personal conversation with each and every one of us. That sense of closeness only deepened during his acoustic encore of Lisa Sawyer, a stirring tribute to Bridges’ mother.
He saved the biggest burst of energy for the finale, with the full band charging back for Beyond. It was pure magic. 10,000 plus backup singers (myself included) belting the lyrics right back at him, arms wrapped around each other, voices echoing into the night.
Leaving the Bowl, I was still humming Beyond with my friends. It was a fantastic evening, and one I’ll be replaying in my mind (and my playlists) for a long time to come.
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