Greek Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
10/12/23
In October, MUNA performed at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California for two sold-out nights. The queer indie-pop band, made up of Katie Gavin (she/her), Josette Maskin (she/they), and Naomi McPherson (they/them), formed in 2013 and have since put out three studio albums. Their first two, About U (2017) and Saves the World (2019), were released with RCA Records. In 2021, MUNA signed with Phoebe Bridgers’ label, Saddest Factory. A few months later, the band released their first single with the new label, “Silk Chiffon” featuring Phoebe Bridgers herself, which received unending praise from several high profile outlets. The success of their third studio album, self-titled MUNA (2022), landed them opening slots for Lorde on her Australian tour and Taylor Swift’s “Eras” Tour in select cities. These opportunities led to their fanbase growing even more, allowing them to add a second show when their only announced date at the Greek Theatre sold out quickly.
MUNA started off the night with “What I Want” from their latest album. Fans were shouting the lyrics so loudly that it was almost impossible to hear the band themselves. Lead singer Katie danced around the stage from side to side, stretching out to hold hands with fans at the barricade. Accompanying the band onstage was Geo Botelho on bass and drummer Sarab Singh. While Sarab couldn’t move from behind the drums, Geo ran back and forth across the stage, often interacting with Jo and Naomi. Next up were “Number One Fan” and “Solid,” which both received shrieks of excitement from the crowd. Throughout each song, the band members interacted with one another heavily on stage. Katie and Naomi had several moments where they danced extremely close together, whereas Jo spent most of their time running and dancing back and forth across the stage. From the smiles on each band member’s face, it was obvious that they were having the time of their lives.
One of the most memorable moments of the show instrumentally was during the song “Runner’s High.” Hearing Katie and Naomi flawlessly harmonize their vocals while simultaneously seeing Jo absolutely smash their guitar solos was mesmerizing to say the least. The band played several fan favorites, including “Stayaway,” “Taken,” and “No Idea,” as well as a few of their older songs. For the first time on this tour, MUNA played one of my all-time favorite songs of theirs: “Everything” from their album, About U. After playing the first few notes, the crowd went absolutely feral for the song they didn’t expect to make an appearance on the setlist. Naomi’s vocals during the pre-chorus itched something in my brain that I didn’t know was possible.
Fans had organized two fan projects for the special event. For the song “Pink Light,” the whole top tier of the venue had pink pieces of paper to hold over their phones, giving the illusion of pink flashlights. Fans at the very front of the barricade organized a second fan project during “I Know A Place,” where they passed out certain colored papers to each section, which made the phone flashlights look like a rainbow. It was really cool to see how many people were willing to partake in these projects.
During the set, Katie took a moment to talk about how playing the iconic Greek Theatre was their imagined finale as a band. She also talks about how reaching a milestone surrounded by so many people who love and support them as a band is the time when she tends to attack herself the most. Throughout this album cycle, Katie said she saw growth in how she learned to accept this help from those around her. Even though this show marked a huge career milestone, Naomi, Jo, and Katie all agreed that they want to continue to write albums and that they will continue to go up from here. Following this emotional speech was “Kind of Girl,” a song written about going through a painful experience while recognizing there space for hard feelings and self-compassion. For this song, MUNA invited the The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles onstage to perform with them, a moment that made several people around me, as well as myself, emotional.
Their older song, “Winterbreak” was next on the setlist; the track included crisp vocals from Naiomi, which fans like to call “Nocals.” Their voice echoed behind Katie’s, adding to the increasing depth and nostalgia for the 2016 single. Another memorable moment was later in the setlist when the band started playing “Anything But Me.” A show tradition started a while back for this song which includes inflatable horses that get bounced amongst the audience for the entirety of the song. Much to the audience’s delight, their siblings and close friends came out onstage in full inflatable horse costumes to dance along with the band. The energy and laughter that emitted during this part of the show was surely a core memory for everyone in attendance.
MUNA came back to the stage for their encore after a quick outfit change into pink. Starting with “Home by Now,” fans looked around excitedly, as the very fitting lyrics, “Why is it so hot in L.A. in late October?” echoed throughout the hills of Los Angeles. The next song was their iconic hit, “I Know A Place.” Everyone was up out of their seat for this song, dancing in the aisles and with strangers they had met only hours before. Lastly, MUNA closed their show with their hit, “Silk Chiffon.” Once it was time for the second verse, the whole Greek erupted in screams as Phoebe Bridgers ran out on stage to sing her part. Once her verse ended, she gestured to the side of the stage, calling Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus to join her on stage. Having toured Europe and played together several times, MUNA is very familiar with boygenius, and each of them chose a microphone to sing background vocals into. Naomi even lowered their mic stand ahead of time so Julien would be able to reach.
MUNA’s timeless sound and addictive melodies make it impossible to sit still while listening to their music. This energy translates beautifully into the live setting, with incredible visuals by music producer and creative director Xkylar and undeniable support from the 6,000-person crowd. Through their music, the queer band provides an eternal safe space where fans feel free to be themselves. The band provides queer and gender representation not only in the media, but through being open about their own identities as well. After several years of attempts, I finally attended my first MUNA concert and it exceeded all of my expectations. It is safe to say that this will not be my last and from this point forward, I plan on attending every MUNA concert in my area and I think that you should, too.
