“It’s good to be back, Madison!” Cherub singer Jordan Kelley gleefully shouted to the sold-out Majestic Theatre as they took the stage late Friday night. For the second time in six months, Kelley and guitarist Jason Huber filled the Majestic to capacity and put on an entrancing show with their timeless, contagious, dance-inducing music.
In what was originally billed as a “mystery event,” Majestic Madison withheld the identity of the act scheduled to perform the Friday night show for nearly a month. The Majestic dared concertgoers to take a leap of faith on the basis that the scheduled act had sold out the Majestic before and would surely make the audience dance. It didn’t take long for many to figure out Cherub was the most likely performer, and after Majestic Madison confirmed Wednesday that it was indeed Cherub, all remaining tickets sold out in less than 24 hours.
Chicago native rapper ProbCause kicked off the show at 11:30 p.m., spitting his signature fast-paced rhymes over original tracks and covers. His set featured frequent call-and-response — “When I say MAD, you say TOWN!” — and some back-and-forth beatboxing with his drummer.
Cherub emerged around 12:30 a.m., eager to get the party started. Their feel-good vibes resonated throughout the Majestic, led by infectious synths, dance-pop beats and Kelley’s falsetto crooning about living promiscuously free. During “Lifesaver,” Kelley defiantly sang, “I just want to let you know / I’m glad to finally see you go.”
Most of the performed songs were Cherub originals, but the duo slipped in an astounding cover of Calvin Harris’s “Feel So Close” that got the entire audience jumping in unison. Despite the concert’s late start, it was clear that everyone in attendance was committed to going all-out the entire show, which lasted past 2 a.m.
The set ended with their woozy track “Hold Me,” but the relentless crowd demanded an encore. Predictably, they returned to the stage to perform their breakout song “Doses and Mimosas”, the epitome of what Cherub stands for: giving a middle finger to the haters and doing what makes you happy. Before plunging into the song, Kelley led the crowd in a broken-down singing of the chorus: “To all the bitch ass hoes that hate me the most / Oh yeah, I hate you too.” They closed the encore with a funky Gramatik track, “Obviously,” that features Cherub vocals, jumping around and stage-diving in the process.
Once again, Cherub proved why they are one of the most entertaining, unique talents in electronic pop. It’s no wonder that they regularly sell out venues when they come through Madison – Cherub brings the goods time and time again.
