El Rey Theater (Los Angeles, CA)
03/14/24
On March 14th, Maddie Zahm’s first leg of her “Now That I’ve Been Honest” tour made its second to last stop at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The 24-year-old singer-songwriter is known for her truthful songwriting about her experience coming to terms with her own queer identity after growing up in a religious environment in Idaho. With a heartfelt sophomore album and an army of fans who feel personally connected to her music, Zahm is embarking on a headlining tour across the country.
Although most of Zahm’s lyrics are extremely personal, they obviously resonate with a large group of people. When looking out into the crowd, strangers hug one another with tears rolling down their faces as they sing along softly to themselves. Not only are Maddie’s shows a safe space, but they are a healing space as well. Zahm’s incredibly powerful vocals bring back nostalgia of religious songs, but in a way that accepts all LGBTQ+ people. Starting off the night with a slower tearjerker song, “Blind Spot,” Zahm got the entire audience in their feels. She went on to play fan favorite “Eightball Girl,” as well as “STEP ON ME.” Zahm’s flawless vocals were especially obvious as she belted the outro to “Pick Up The Phone” from her new album, Now That I’ve Been Honest.
At several points throughout the show, Maddie stopped to discuss the meaning behind songs, as well as ask everyone in attendance if they’ve ever experienced religious trauma. Popular songs “Fat Funny Friend” and “Where Do All The Good Kids Go?” were met with an especially emotional reaction from the crowd. She even threw in a small snippet of “Pocket Bible”’ after fans at previous shows complained when she took it off the setlist. When returning to the stage for the encore, the L.A. crowd got to hear her latest release, “Little Me,” live, just an hour after it was officially released. Maddie closed out the night singing her megahit, “You Might Not Like Her,” on the barricade with the crowd.
