Clairo completes “Immunity” tour by conquering Boston
Acclaimed singer makes sold-out Paradise Rock Club her own with help from Hello Yello and beabadoobee
Raider Times photo / Joseph Ignacio
Clairo had the crowd at the Paradise Rock Club on its feet Nov. 21, 2019, during the second of two sold-out shows.
November 28, 2019
Massachusetts’s very own Clairo, of “Pretty Girl” and “Flaming Hot Cheetos” fame, sold out Boston’s Paradise Rock Club on Nov. 21, 2019, as the last stop on her Immunity tour.
Clairo, real name Claire Cottrill is Boston’s resident lo-fi/electropop phenomenon. Born in Atlanta, Ga., and raised in Carlisle, Mass., the “4EVER” artist toured in support of her “Immunity” LP, her debut studio album.
The warm, intimate setting of the Paradise Rock Club was the perfect venue for Clairo’s diverse set. One minute the entire crowd would be screaming along to songs that one fan described as “bangers”, the next swaying suavely from side to side and humming along with the more mellow tunes present in the 21-year-old’s discography, then transitioning back to the screaming, then repeating the cycle all over again.
Clairo had the crowd at the Paradise Rock Club on its feet Nov. 21, 2019, during the second of two sold-out shows.
Opening for Clairo were, in order of appearance, Hello Yello and beabadoobee. The Oakland-based Hello Yello had quite the eclectic set, showcasing its March EP, “Love Wins”. The group’s music resembled an interesting mix of grunge-esque guitar licks and heavy bass lines, juxtapositioned against electro-pop synth elements, reminiscent of The Internet. Entertaining, but certainly not the main attraction.
Coffee artist beabadoobee played next, highlighting her October EP, “Space Cadet”. The Filipino-British singer combined a cute stage presence with poppy-yet-introspective vocals. She too matched the sundry energy spectrum seen during Clairo’s set.
After a short intermission, Clairo swaggered out to the crowd’s deafening cheers, greeting them with a brief hello, followed by first track off her new LP, “Alewife”. After an explosive set complete with a previously-discussed heterogenous range of emotion (none of them being negative!) and electric performances of fan favorites such as “North” and “Flaming Hot Cheetos”, Clairo tearily addressed the crowd, giving her thanks to the full house and recounting her history with the venue.
After her backing instrumentalists had left the stage, she debuted a previously unreleased track that she had written while touring. The crowd was too enthusiastic to catch the name of the mellow, solo-guitar track, but it was nothing short of stellar.
Clairo then bid her fans goodnight, and retreated backstage. However, the emphatic crowd was not yet satisfied as chants of “Encore!” and “One more song!” rang out across the club.
Clairo, always the charismatic crowd-pleaser, performed fan favorites “4EVER” and “Pretty Girl”. Clairo then ended her set with her newest release, “I Don’t Think I Can Do This Again”, her feature on a track belonging to British producer Mura Masa.
With that the crowd was sated, and a tired, content congregation shuffled out of the venue. Ears were ringing and feet were numb from standing for hours on end, but these are the telltale signs of a good concert.
–Nov. 28, 2019–
