A Night of Enchantment and Drama: Cloe Wilder and Spencer Sutherland at Brighton Music Hall

This concert was shot for Charm Music Magazine. You can view the original article here.

Last Saturday evening, March 22nd, Brighton Music Hall was more packed than I’ve ever seen it. I was shocked, as I wasn’t too familiar with the headliner, Spencer Sutherland, and only recently familiar with opener Cloe Wilder. Turns out, I was in for a treat in what turned out to be my favorite show of the year so far. 

Cloe Wilder, a 19-year-old folk/Americana/pop/(insert genre here) artist, took the stage as the evening’s opener, enchanting the audience with her dreamy aesthetic and nostalgia-laden lyrics. Her microphone was adorned with an extravagant floral arrangement, giving some strong Midsommar vibes that perfectly matched her energy and music. The setlist was a good mix of songs from her newly released EP Life’s a Bitch, alongside some older favorites and a particularly fun cover of “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. 

Among the highlights was “Cigarette,” quite possibly the catchiest and definitely the most upbeat track off her new EP that had the crowd dancing and more engaged than you typically see with an opening act. The highlight of the set for me though, was “Tallahassee,” the leading track off the new EP that features some incredible songwriting and perfectly captures the bittersweet emotions of transition and self-discovery. 

Headliner Spencer Sutherland took the stage, heavily channeling Freddie Mercury in everything from vocals to outfit to demeanor. He leaned into this inspiration by making a grand entrance to Queen’s “We Are the Champions.” The drama was on full display throughout his set, which aptly featured songs off his latest album, “The Drama.” Sutherland’s performance was filled with theatrics, impressive vocals, and stage presence that seemed too large for such a small venue. The extravagant set featured a throne from which he sipped from a goblet, surveying his loyal subjects (or fans, however you’d like to call them!)

What made this show so fantastic was not just the music on display, but the artistic vision each artist had for their performance, elevating their songs through their specific aesthetics.