In Concert: The Beaches

The best way to get through any kind of doldrums is live music. March is a peak gloom month with the cold, the wet and the grey days that keep piling on and spring is still just an idea frozen stuck in the cold mud below a thin layer of ice. The Beaches concert at Royale on their Blame My Ex tour was the perfect antidote to March in Boston.

When + Where

The Beaches filled Royale in Boston’s theatre district and brought the sunshine inside and out with them. Royale has two personas: night club and concert hall. It was built in 1918 as an opera house and the chandeliers and medallions still give it that glamorous old feel. Royale holds 2000 fans but still feels cozy. There are several bars on the floor as well as a couple up on the mezzanine level. The Beaches’ Blame My Ex Tour strutted into Boston on March 8th, 2024.

Opener

Indie, queer, duo Boyish opened for The Beaches. The brought an energy to the stage that caught everyone’s attention. An opener like that always leaves with a roomful of new fans, which is the best kind of opening. The duo are India Shore and Claire Altendahl who met at Berklee College of Music in 2016. They released the albums Carnation (2018) and Garden Spider (2020). Their latest album will be released on September 12, 2025 and is called GUN.

On the Floor

The Beaches fans have no chill when face to face with the band. There is an electricity in the air and the fans are the adoring kind. It is something about the songwriting that everyone can latch on to and feel seen heard and ready to rage about, lament, or kick to the curb together. Royale is a good sized venue for connecting with the band. The stage is not terribly large and the floor is long and deep but somehow still feels close. For those who prefer a bird’s eye view the wrap-around balconies provide a nice perch for adoring fans who can’t or don’t show up early to snag spots up front on the floor.

The Songs

Straight up modern rock band The Beaches started as a small Toronto band and then soared to over 115 million streams and 20 million views with Blame Brett off of the Blame My Ex album. This secured them the #1 spot for fifteen weeks on Alternative Radio in Canada. The show opened with their song T Shirt off the album Late Show (2017) and included one of my favourite songs Edge of The Earth as well as Blame Brett of course and for the encore Kismet.

On Stage

On stage you have band members: Jordan Miller (vocals/bass), Leandra Earl (guitar/keyboard), Kylie Miller (guitar) and, Eliza McDaniel (drums). Jordan and Kylie are sisters and the foursome may as well be family with how close they seem. Not a silly googly-eyed closeness but a sisterly each with their own personality and energy kind of closeness. Jordan is stage front and center drawing attention with her natural coolness in denim and exposed skin and of course the fierce voice of the band. Leandra’s energy and intensity is what draws the audience towards her commanding a relationship, but it still has that underlying The Beaches cool, casualness to it. Kylie Miller is in her zone throughout most of the show only noticeably engaging with her bandmates at key moments while still laying down the sound that everyone weaves into. Set back on the drums is Eliza McDaniel full tilt. The Beaches are a great band to listen to, a really fun band to watch, and one of the most fun to engage fully with however many lyrics you know by heart or dance moves you are willing and able to pull out. Simply put: they put on a great show!

Lyrics to Linger Over

I have a few favourites, like any band I listen to, there is a minimum of three favourite songs. My minimum three thus far for The Beaches are: Edge of the Earth (Blame My Ex 2023), Did I Say Too Much (2025), End of Beginning (2024)

Edge of the Earth was written by Eliza Enman-McDaniel, Jordan Killer, Karah McGillivray, Kylie Miller, Leandra Earl and Sam Willows and was produced by Gus van Go and Sam Willows

She’s a fire sign
And I don’t really know what that means
I’m a cold night
And I wanna be close to the heat
I don’t want to get burned
I don’t want love like that
But I can’t go any further till I start coming back

Edge of the Earth, Blame Brett (2023)

The Beaches are back in Boston, Wednesday, September 24th at 8 p.m. for their upcoming concert at Roadrunner. Tickets are available here. Debbi Dawson will be opening. On my “liked songs” from Debbi Dawson I have: Eulogy for Nobody and Too Strange for the Circus.