In the midst of their first tour in three years, Quinn XCII and Chelsea Cutler performed at Cadence Bank Amphitheatre last Saturday. The “Stay Next To Me” Tour featured hourlong sets from both Quinn XCII and Chelsea Cutler, an opening act from Tai Verdes and a joint encore.
Recent TikTok sensation Verdes was greeted by a half empty venue, a sleepy crowd and bright sunlight. He sounded amazing, but that was the only positive from his set.
The sloppy, static visuals and stage design, which pushed the band to the absolute edge of the stage, made it clear that there was a clear lack of preparation for set. Although the “AOK” artist was added to the event after initial advertising, he had already performed with Quinn XCII 13 times before the Atlanta show. It still felt like organizers did not give Verdes a second thought.
Even with his limited discography, Verdes produced an apt tracklist and demonstrated that he has the talent to become a lively performer. Unfortunately, he lacked the knowledge to increase the audience participation when they were not engaged, which led to several awkward pauses.
Normally, when the audience does not participate the first two times, performers get a hint, but Verdes was willing to die on this sword. Towards the end of his set, he called out the audience to “don’t be the lame grandparent that whispers at concerts, pull out your mother f phone and sing along!” before performing “AOK.” Ending on a high note, the energy only grew as the crowd started thickening before Cutler’s set.
At Saturday’s show, it was enjoyable to see Cutler, who started off her touring career in 2018 supporting Quinn XCII, grow into her own artist who can now share the stage as an equal.
With a more linear tracklist, Cutler got most of her grimey, older music out of the way early. She set the mood with heartfelt raspy vocals and lively musicians backing her up. Her minimalistic stage design and beautiful visualizations of sound were the most cohesive of all the night’s performances and fit her brand to a tee.
Whether to catch her breath or due to gratitude, she would break into monologue between songs. From thanking Atlanta for allowing the event to happen to advertising her upcoming album, the breath of fresh air did not affect the continuity of her set but got much more of the crowd invested.
After informing the crowd that her next album would be much more happy because she has more to be happy about, the mood she created developed into an energetic audience-led performance which climaxed during her cover of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers.
Quinn XCII is synonymous with energized live shows. With four sold out headline tours since 2017 and performances at some of the largest festivals under his belt, the Columbia Records artist flexed his experience from the second he stepped on stage.
From the second he walked out, the whole amphitheater was on their feet, and Quinn fed off the energy of the crowd as the night went on.
In a much more natural organization, Quinn mixed several tracks from different genres and albums to present a cohesive story. Similar to Cutler, Quinn expressed his gratitude for the revival of live music, and said “thank you” 16 times during his set. He also chose to mix in banter on stage, actively participating with his band throughout his set.
The lighting and stage design was spacious and well produced, presenting an exciting visual experience in addition to Quinn’s voice. Highlights of his set were “Straigtjacket” and “Stacy.”
With several collaborations preexisting between Quinn and Cutler, it was inevitable that they would come back for a few duets. Verdes also joined in for a new verse on Cutler’s “Calling All Angels.” The “Stay Next To Me” artists played off each other naturally, actively running around and jumping in for melodies, leveraging their familiarity.
The energy was at an overall high by the time “Flareguns,” and the two artists wrapped up the event wonderfully with “Stay Next To Me” — the title of the tour.
Though there were a few concerns with Verdes’ set, it was still a welcome addition to a well conducted joint concert that reintroduced Quinn, one of the best live performers, back into the touring scene while cementing Cutler as her own artist. The “Stay Next To Me” Tour was a great experience with a fitting venue and atmosphere that developed over the course of the night.
Quinn expressed his gratitude for the revival of live music, and said “thank you” 16 times during his set. He also chose to mix in banter on stage, actively participating with his band throughout his set.
The lighting and stage design was spacious and well produced, presenting an exciting visual experience in addition to Quinn’s voice. Highlights of his set were “Straigtjacket” and “Stacy.”
With several collaborations preexisting between Quinn and Cutler, it was inevitable that they would come back for a few duets. Verdes also joined in for a new verse on Cutler’s “Calling All Angels.” The “Stay Next To Me” artists played off each other naturally, actively running around and jumping in for melodies, leveraging their familiarity.
The energy was at an overall high by the time “Flareguns,” and the two artists wrapped up the event wonderfully with “Stay Next To Me” — the title of the tour.
Though there were a few concerns with Verdes’ set, it was still a welcome addition to a well conducted joint concert that reintroduced Quinn, one of the best live performers, back into the touring scene while cementing Cutler as her own artist. The “Stay Next To Me” Tour was a great experience with a fitting venue and atmosphere that developed over the course of the night.