dodie’s ethereal opening number set the tone for a fantastic night of echoing vocals, kaleidoscopic lighting, and vibrant music. Her genre-breaking mix of energetic drums, heavy bass, airy vocals, and glistening strings created a concert experience like your reviewer has never seen. Each shift in tone was immaculately performed in a series of lighting effects, which moved fabulously through disco, rainbow, silhouetted, spotlighted, double or triple or quadruple color, you name it, complete with a massive ‘dodie’ sign afloat above it all.

Even at its most energetic, dodie’s music is characteristically chill, but that fact didn’t prevent undercurrents of tension from popping out of the texture. Like a glitch or a shattering of glass, pockets of intensity broke through the vibes, interruptions which were complemented by flashing lights and sudden blackouts. I can only describe dodie’s show as a beautiful, gauzy covering over an ever-changing series of profound and troubled emotions.

Unique to dodie’s ensemble was the addition of a cello on top of the standard guitar, bass, drums, and whichever of the multiple instruments dodie happened to have in her hands. Everyone on stage was clearly enjoying themselves, adding their own little riffs and dances to the production. dodie’s self-proclaimed awkward stage presence only enhanced her performance, delighting the crowd and encouraging them to participate in every minute of the show. Her unscripted set left us with many goofy moments and lovely explanations of her writing process.

Much of dodie’s music is about time, a concept she continually incorporated into her performance. She told us she enjoys playing some of her older songs, which are like letters from her past self that allow her to see how much has changed. She even reassured us there’d be an encore, which turned out to be a solo performance of “In The Middle” (which the crowd adored) and an all-out party to “Darling, Angel, Baby,” a song about her cat!  =^..^=

When the lights flickered back on, we were reluctant to leave. dodie, in her white skort and knee-high socks, had crafted an amazing experience on a foggy Thursday night that your reviewers never want to forget.

Show Review: Jocelyn Bock

Photos: Hasitha Chaparala