Nashville based artist Annie DiRusso is currently on her second headlining tour and her first stop was Milwaukee.
At the Back Room, the wall was lined completely with beautiful plants and ferns, string lights hanging overhead and there’s was even a sky light on the ceiling as well. The everchanging lighting was expressive, and the acoustics made it sound like I was sitting and talking to the performer face-to-face.
Hannah Cole and her band performed a beautiful opening set, her voice was angelic and soft but paired with fast paced instrumentals that really complemented her vocal style and her lyrics. She played some of her most popular songs as well as some newer, unreleased ones.
As they were prepping the stage for DiRusso’s big entrance, there were various objects being put on stage to make it look like her bedroom. The stage was complete with a lamp, a bedside table, a bed and even a trampoline. It was eye candy and I had never seen something like it before on stage. DiRusso’s drummer, bassist and lead guitarist all walked out in matching shirts followed by DiRusso herself carrying her red and white striped guitar that matched her flaming red hair perfectly.
The tour name “God I love this Tour” celebrates the release of DiRusso’s first project and EP “God, I Hate this Place” which explores the act of growing up and the feeling of also not wanting to grow up. Track “Emerson” speaks about her childhood bedroom and what it feels like to come back home. This project is filled with emotion and love, and it was clear when I saw DiRusso perform live. Listening to her EP for the first time was the ultimate reminder of what it feels like to grow as a person.
On stage, Annie was asking fans how they were, telling them about her day and just repeatedly thanking them for being there. She even pointed out an audience member’s birthday and sang them a special happy birthday song with her band. It goes to show how much Annie cares about her listeners, and it made the show feel so much more intimate because as the audience we were also part of the show.
Annie candidly shared the backstory of her songs and why she wrote some of them. She mentioned that some were written while she was in college, and being in college right now, there was another level of relatability I felt watching her perform. I thought it was beautiful that she acknowledged how these different ages she’s lived through impacted and affected her life and her music.
Annie was performing her last few songs of the night, hinting at a probable encore until she finally said she couldn’t keep it a secret anymore. The lights dimmed low, she and her band walked offstage, until not even a few seconds later to come back and end the show with two more songs, a definite encore and the perfect ending to the opening night of her tour.
This story was written by Sofía Cortés. She can be reached at sofía.corté[email protected].
