Hammerstein Ballroom (New York, NYC)
01/26/2024
On Friday, January 26th, Oliver Tree performed to a packed house in New York City’s iconic Hammerstein Ballroom. Kicking off the show was Los Angeles-based punk band FIDLAR, who played an exciting set that got the crowd moving (including a handful of small, scattered mosh pits). Their set included songs such as Sober, By Myself, and Nudge, as well as a cover of Weezer’s “Undone – The Sweater Song.” Following FIDLAR’s performance, Super Computer performed a short but incredibly captivating DJ set. Super Computer is a DJ act signed to Oliver Tree’s record label, Alien Boy Records, and the crowd was incredibly excited when they took the stage, donning computers on their heads with a functioning display that matched a video display being projected behind them. Their DJ set included imagery of old Windows loading screens, errors, pop ups, and even games, and added a really cool visual component to their already impressive set. While the two openers could not be more different – FIDLAR, who have expertise in playing live music, working the crowd, and fall quite a bit left of traditional as far as musical style goes and Super Computer, whose music could be considered a bit more mainstream, but added incredible visual components and unique experiences that set them apart from a typical DJ set – combined, the two made for the perfect lead-in to Oliver Tree’s set.
Finally, Oliver Tree came onstage – well, sort of. A couch was brought out, along with a comically large television remote, and Oliver Tree sat on the couch, facing away from the audience, as a series of sketches in the style of movie trailers played for the crowd, occasionally urging them to leave the show while they still could. One video even included a cameo from well-known music critic Anthony “The Needle Drop” Fantano, who gave the show everyone was about to see a rating of a “light 1 out of 10.” After 10 or so minutes, the couch finally spun around and the set began.
Oliver Tree kicked off his set with a lively performance of his viral hit, “Miss You,” clearly not hesitating to dive right into the excitement, much to the audience’s delight. He and his bandmates wore matching pink outfits along with his iconic wig, and Oliver Tree himself managed to cover every inch of the rather large stage amidst his running, dancing, and jumping, which the crowd happily joined in on. He continued with “Bounce” and “Essence,” both off of his latest album for which the tour is named, Alone in a Crowd. A highlight of the set was definitely when the keytar came out during the first few songs, but there was never a dull moment the whole night. At one point, a large fake cow was brought onstage, which he sat upon for a performance as cowboy imagery played on the screen behind him. There was no shortage of costume changes or props being brought on and offstage, but they also managed to consistently keep the pacing up with no awkward gaps between songs, highlighting the skill that went into crafting the unique and memorable set.
Oliver Tree is a musician based in California, well known for his persona/image and for mixing theatrical and comedic components into his live performances. His most recent album, Alone in a Crowd, released in September and can be found on all streaming platforms alongside his other music, and he is on tour across the U.S. this winter in support of it.
