Open Season at The Princess Theatre continued to deliver the goods on Friday night (28 July) with the chill vibes at Tourist's first show in Brisbane in over four years.
The supporting acts complemented Tourist well. I caught the tail end of DJ Macaroni's set. Her fun vibes warmed me up for the night to come.Juno Mamba's beats filled the room. His songs have the sense of a constantly rising pitch and swell that gives a strong sense of urgency. He bobbed around on stage giving great energy. The whole room was dancing. He will definitely be in my Spotify for the coming weeks.
Tourist showed fantastic musicianship. His confidence was undeniable and he was in his element. I really enjoyed his song mashups. He grabbed a few subtle elements from one song to give fresh life to another. The set (at least from an audience member's perspective) went off without a hitch.
I would have been interested in seeing one or two higher energy songs in the middle of the set to break it up with variety.
Now I am in a tricky spot in my opinion here. Tourist is not a hype-beast. He is a more melodic, chill artist. If you're looking to head-bang or rave, this probably isn't your gig. But, in a live scene, giving more momentum to the set with some high-energy moments would've grabbed the audience better.
Tourist - image © Kalem Horn
Regardless, the crowd did not seem bothered much and bobbed the entire set; but they did also react strongly to the harder (also more famous) beats at the start and finish of the set too, so who knows.
Tourist said: "No matter where you go in the world for a Tourist show, people always say 'this was the nicest bunch of people'." I would echo that claim. Something about this less abrasive electronic music (I experienced similar at a Flight Facilities show) creates gigs that feel like the nicest, cleanest club you've ever been to.
Every audience member is looking out for, and considering each other. This led to a substantially more enjoyable experience.
It felt like a special night we all (I, the crowd, Tourist) got to share together. A genuine moment of connection. I personally had been looking forward to seeing Tourist for over a decade and am very chuffed to say, Tourist did not disappoint.
