After stalling on buying a ticket to see girl in red and Holly Humberstone, I thought all hope was lost for finding an affordable ticket to my sold-out hometown show in Columbus, Ohio. Luckily, just four days before the show, I found a face value ticket and started to prepare myself for my first concert in a few months. Since COVID-19 shut down so many concerts and events, it feels as though every concert I attend now is my first with pure glee and jittery excitement, and this show was no different.

When show time rolled around and I joined the wrapped-around-the-block entry line at Kemba Live!, I found similar excitement from the crowd as everyone seemed to be absolutely buzzing before even entering the door. The floor became an energetic standing room full of cheers and jokes between new friends as Doja Cat blasted through the venue speakers. Admittedly, this was the first concert I have ever attended alone and I was slightly worried about not having as much fun by myself. However, the giggling and excited audience immediately set up fantastic community energy as they made signs on their phones to communicate and pass jokes along before the show started.

Eight o’clock cued up the show’s opener, Holly Humberstone. While most people in the crowd did not seem to know Holly upon their arrival, rest assured, they left remembering her name from her stunning set. Humberstone opened with “Overkill” off of her first EP, and the once talkative crowd quickly began to silence themselves and cheer along with Holly’s soft vocals. Following these cheers, Humberstone joked about being a little awkward as she officially introduced herself with a shy smile, waving cheers away to kick start the rest of her show. She continued to capture the attention of many audience members through songs such as “Scarlett”, “Deep End”, and “The Walls Are Way Too Thin.” A special treat was included in Holly’s set in the form of an unreleased song that looks to be called “Sleep Tight.” Through heartfelt lyrics, Holly sang about feelings for a relationship that she seemingly knows she is rushing into but cannot help but live in the moment as she does so.

As a major fan of Holly’s, I found her live vocals to have a special rasp and tone that don’t always come through on recorded versions. There were also interesting track changes to some of her songs. (Humberstone operated as a one-woman show, simultaneously playing any necessary instruments herself as her voice rang out through the venue.) Holly’s performance may have only been thirty minutes long, but every second was captivating and made the audience feel as though they were watching her in an intimate and private setting as opposed to a sold-out show.

Following a short break, girl in red blasted onstage with fierce energy and belting vocals on “You Stupid Bitch.” The crowd lit up and immediately started a dance party that did not stop until the lights came up, indicating the end of the show. Popular songs of the set were “girls,” “dead girl in the pool.” and “Serotonin.” Even during acoustic moments, the energy was so high that I couldn’t help but smile and dance along amid fantastic music. 

girl in red also kept the crowd laughing in the breaks between songs, causing the audience to be even more captivated with her as she joked “Oh, I forgot I’m supposed to be singing! That’s why I’m here! My stand up set is tomorrow!” before launching into “hornylovesickmess.” Her explosive stamina kept up throughout the entire show as she crowd-surfed during “bad idea!” midway through the set and ended her show in the pit moshing during “i wanna be your girlfriend.” She had no fear as she entered the pit and clearly loved getting to dance and physically connect with her fans as everyone sang along to her music. 

Off the stage, I also got the chance to say hi to the tour’s Merchandise Manager, Michelle (@omgmichelle on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube), who is a Content Creator that I have adored watching. (If anyone is looking for tips on how to break into the touring industry or just wants to see some of the behind-the-scenes tour action, you should find your way over to Michelle’s page!)

While entirely different in how they accomplished it, both Holly Humberstone and girl in red had captivating performances that couldn’t be looked away from. If you have the chance to catch either of these artists live, make sure you grab a ticket and make your way there for a night of pure bliss and electric energy.