At the Fillmore in Charlotte on April 27, Japanese Breakfast and Ginger Root’s concert was filled with nostalgia and energy.
As Ginger Root took the stage, Cameron Lew, the leader of the music project, had incredible songs to play. For his entire set, nostalgia filled room as the onstage cameraman broadcasted the majority of his performance for the audience to see. Watching Lew’s performance on the screen almost felt like I had been transported to a time when MTV still aired music videos on its channel. Aside from playing various instruments and singing into a red telephone, he further entertained the audience by cracking a few jokes.
“I heard y’all got talking spiders. Charlotte’s Web,” Lew joked.
I highly appreciated the small Beatles joke Lew incorporated within his set as he introduced himself and the beginnings of his career.
“It all started with four guys from Liverpool.” The audience and I chuckled.
He ended his set on a positive note with his song “Show 10,” encouraging the audience to dance as he reminded us to continue to put ourselves out there and to not be afraid of failure.
At the opening of Japanese Breakfast’s set, it’s safe to say frontwoman Michelle Zauner, emerged from her shell. Quite literally, as she performed sitting on the edge of a giant clam shell. As she began playing, the music progressed from whimsy to loud and fierce. Most notable was when Japanese Breakfast played “Honey Water,” and Zauner displayed her amazing talent on the electric guitar.
Her positive energy on stage proved to be infectious with songs such as “Side Tackle” that made me want to dance on stage with her as well as roll down the windows on a drive listening to this specific song.
Throughout the night, it was clear that for Japanese Breakfast’s Melancholy tour was not so melancholy. In fact, it was the exact opposite – upbeat, eccentric, and the most vibrant performance I have ever seen.
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