In Concert: Lizzy McAlpine

My journey back to concerts began mostly because my child was too young to get into certain venues alone. It was the perfect push to go back to something I loved as a teenager, then was too poor as a college student to partake in, and now as a full-fledged adult I am making up for lost time and having the time of my life. Boston is a great place to enjoy concerts in venues that run the gamut from tiny and intimate to large and raucous. In concert is a series that recaps concerts primarily in Boston. In Concert, is a vignette of each show, hopefully to inspire you to take a listen to a new band and catch them next time they are in town if you’re a fan. I love a wide range of music styles and always prefer to be standing on the floor than seated at a concert because I love to dance. Each vignette will include a little 101 on the venue as well.

When + Where

Friday, June 21st in Boston. A grey, humid and warm evening in Fenway. The concert was at MGM Music Hall at Fenway. MGM Music Hall is right in the heart of Fenway on a corner shoulder to shoulder with Fenway Park, which also hosts the occasional concert. MGM Music Hall is one of Boston’s newest venues. It opened in 2022 and holds 5,009 music lovers.

Vibe On The Floor

The truth is there is no one fan for any given show. Whether it be age, look, energy, politics (well ok sometimes this may come into play more than others), sexuality, gender, there is usually an archetype for each show but with plenty of “minor” character too. Lizzy McAlpine’s fans were mostly young adults, with bows in their hair, preppy with an untucked softness. There were groups of friends and couples of every sort, most new the words to every song, and there was plenty of dancing on the floor.

The Songs

Lizzy McAlpine had a great set and she chose one cover which was Stevie Wonder’s Lately (1980), a song about a crumbling relationship and suspicion of cheating, The encore featured a tour debut song, orange show speedway which was exciting to be there for as well as the much anticipated ceilings

Vibe on Stage

Lizzy McAlpine talked a bit about the difficulty of touring and how it has been problematic in the past. This tour seemed to take everything into account and the set as well as the energy on stage seemed to say this works for me. It worked for us too. There was no opener, I love an opening band it is one way to get to know about hidden gem talent, but it was also refreshing to have solely a headliner. Once the lights came on, it was as if you were looking through the glass at a recording studio. The band on chairs, a retro looking wall with curtains, windows and all behind. Lizzy McAlpine sat on a stool middle of the stage and brought us all into her music seemingly so casually.

Lyric to Linger Over

Wish I was stronger somehow
Wish it was easy
Somewhere I lost all my senses
I wish I knew what the end is

Older, Producers Lizzy McAlpine and Mason Stoops

Somehow, and maybe it is just my immaturity, but as someone who is older, it is wild how many of the things we grapple with as we enter each new age are the same. The themes are the same but our attitudes change and grow. I don’t know if I will ever feel strong enough. As for ease, I have never been someone who lives in the realm of ease so I take that as a gift. I have a ton of ease and privilege in my life, but I have also always had obstacles to overcome; we all do. The idea of knowing what the end is, is the crux here. There are so many ways to thing about those 8 words.

Bonus Tid Bit

Lizzy McAlpine’s penultimate song was a new unreleased one: Spring Into Summer. Boston holds a special spot in McAlpine’s heart and it felt special to have unreleased songs shared with the Boston fans.