It was a family affair as fans of all ages packed The Van Buren in Phoenix, AZ, on Tuesday, May 6, for the opening night of Livingston’s The Story Continues Tour. The singer-songwriter is touring in promotion of the recent release of the deluxe edition of his album, A Hometown Odyssey (The Story Continues).
At 8PM, the lights dimmed, and the voice of a narrator filled the speakers, introducing the crowd to pop/rock/indie singer-songwriter Braden Bales. The Canadian artist took the stage as the narrator comically described him to those who may not be familiar with his work. The audience laughed as an AI generated voice filled in the blanks within the narrator’s monologue to tailor the announcement to the Phoenix crowd. The comedic touch of the narrator kicked off the set on a humorous note, and that vibe continued through the set. Bales’ banter between songs had the audience laughing, instantly winning them over with his playful personality. For one song, Bales had his guitarist put on a wig to play the part of his ex as he sang his soon to be released song, “YOU LIED” (now available for streaming). The crowd participated by screaming “you lied, you lied, you lied” along with Bales. While much of his music may have been new to the audience, you would be hard pressed to find someone who was not familiar with “CHRONICALLY CAUTIOUS,” a tune that found major success on TikTok and skyrocketed Bales into the spotlight, amassing over 48 million streams on Spotify alone. The audience sang along to every word as Bales closed out the set with the track, ending on a high note which left the audience buzzing with excitement for what was to come.
Follow BRADEN BALES | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | SPOTIFY
Fans, equipped with t-shirts, glow sticks, and signs showing their love for Livingston, stirred with excitement as they waited for the alt-pop singer-songwriter and producer to take the stage. As the house lights turned down, “Introduction” began streaming over the speakers, with stage lights flashing in sync with the familiar voice of Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons. Livingston took the stage with an explosive energy, bouncing around the stage as he kicked off the set with “Half Life”. The Denton, Texas, native’s energy did not falter once throughout the evening as he danced, kicked, played the MIDI keyboard, and jumped from platform to platform, fully commanding the stage. The audience was fully captivated as Livingston continued the set with tracks like “Surprise!” and “Warrior” before his first ever performance of “Nightlight.” The setlist consisted only of songs from A Hometown Odyssey (The Story Continues), including all 9 songs from the recently released deluxe version of the album. Livingston sang to the young fans who lined the barricade as he joined them for “Symphony” which left some in tears from the excitement of the interaction. “Look Mom I Can Fly” proved to be a truly memorable performance as the voices of the audience rang out in unison with Livingston, filling the room with beautiful harmonies reminiscent of a choir. Livingston ended his set with a powerful performance of “Gravedigger” before returning for an encore of “Shadow”. The voice of J.K. Simmons could be heard again as “Godspeed” played while Livingston exited the stage.
Livington's year is off to a great start, with the release of the deluxe version of his album in March, being named MTV's PUSH artist for April, and now his biggest headlining tour to date. What began as releasing covers of songs on TikTok has resulted in millions of followers across his social media platforms and over 2.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone. Between his song writing and incredible live performances, it's no wonder he has amassed the following that he has.
The Story Continues Tour is one you won’t want to miss! Catch Livingston as he brings his tour across the US and Canada through June 12. Tickets can be purchased here.
Setlist: Introduction/Half Life/ Surprise!/ Warrior/ Neon/ Nightlight/ Architect/ Brainstorm/ Millionaire/ Symphony/ Reverse/ Look Mom I Can Fly/ Haunt Me/ Last Man Standing/ The Game/ Glow/ Gravedigger/ ENCORE: Shadow/ Godspeed (outro)
Follow LIVINGSTON | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC | YOUTUBE | X
