On Nov. 9, alternative pop artist Gus Dapperton put on a fantastic show at the Majestic Theatre in Madison.
Dapperton, an artist with a unique musical style, has been making music for only a few years. He released his first EP, “Yellow and Such,” in 2017. Since he started, he has released another EP and two full albums. The young musician has also been featured on a track from “13 Reasons Why” and the song “Supalonely” by BENEE, which gained popularity on TikTok.
The opening act, the indie-pop band Michelle kicked off the show with their astounding talent. The New York City-based band played a 30 minute set, including their songs “Stuck on U,” “FYO,” “Syncopate,” “Mess U Made” and “The Bottom.” My favorites were “Syncopate” and “The Bottom” which had the audience dancing, as well as the singers. Each of their four vocalists sang like angels and gave Dapperton a tough act to follow.
But he certainly rose to the challenge. Dapperton came onstage next, welcomed by an audience of fans screaming with excitement. He performed for just over an hour, singing “Bluebird,” “Moodna, One With Grace,” “Ditch” and “Medicine,” among other songs from his most recent album and his previous album and EPs.
“Prune, You Talk Funny” had the audience jumping and the band dancing as they played their instruments. This added to the concert’s energy because the audience could tell the performers were having just as much fun as them.
Dapperton’s audience was elated to see him perform and several concert-goers made attempts to get his attention throughout the night. One yelled “My dog’s name is Gus Waggerton!” which made Dapperton laugh. Dapperton also referenced his previous show in Madison and how much fun he had then. His interaction with the audience made the show feel special and engaged the audience.
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Later in the show, Dapperton played “Medicine,” “Gum, Toe and Sole” and “World Class Cinema.” “Gum, Toe and Sole” had the audience moving once again and had Dapperton jamming with his band, too. My favorite performance was “Post Humorous” which was played toward the end of the concert.
This song started slower than many of the ones Dapperton played but picked up as it went on. This song is catchy and got the audience swaying to the beat once last time before the concert finished.
At the end of the night, Dapperton had the audience cheering for an encore. He finished the concert with “First Aid,” a slower song that winded down the show perfectly.
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All in all, Dapperton’s performance this week was excellent. His talent was showcased and the chemistry between Dapperton and his band made the show fun to watch.
Dapperton told the audience it was hard for him to be producing new music and not being able to perform it during the pandemic. He was clearly grateful to be back on tour and on stage.
Hopefully, we will hear more music from him in the future and maybe even another concert in Madison during his next tour.
