George Clanton’s show brought nostalgia to life. His quippy spirit kept the night young, embedding retro vaporwave sound in an electronic setlist. Altogether, this made for a disco-esque experience. And it was the ideal night for people to feel the vibe for a time they may have never even been alive for.
It was a full house on display, with the venue boasting a “Sold Out” sign out front. Ryan Hemsworth kicked off the night, and Boston enjoyed him. To reiterate Clanton’s reflections, other cities allegedly didn’t give Hemsworth the degree of energy and respect he deserved. But, in pure Bostonian style, the crowd was wicked loud. It was merely a light warm up from the brisk November cold before the main act.
Clanton matched the energy in the room, holding that a Monday night was no excuse for a lame party. What followed was a song with a title that speaks for itself- “Livin’ Loose.” The vocals were strong and sung in such a way that it was almost spoken, reminiscent of 80s new-wave and synthpop. Each song had a quality of soulfulness that brought listeners back to the days of funk and dancepop. The first few performances, with tracks like “She’s Gone,” brought an atmosphere that let the meticulously-dressed fans dance the night away.
In between songs, Clanton dropped a one-liner that warranted laughter all around. Most of the time, people complain that the front rows of concerts are overrun by six-foot-tall men. But he knew the underestimated party people to look out for: “the 5 '2” Latinas,” which struck a chord in me (a 5 ‘4” Latina on a good day). He made his point with a rhetorical question, asking “who else can really hold it down”?
Clanton primed listeners for his hit song “Warmpop” by arguing that society should collectively make discos a thing. The crowd couldn’t have agreed more. A tough-love pep talk was needed at this point, since the homestretch was nearing. Before going on, he said most of our “mommies and daddies knew how to dance,” which is something we all needed to hear. It’s always dreadful to ‘turn into your parents,’ but this is the one exception. Gen Xers were big on dancing in the club in their youth, and maybe that’s something people could use too. Followed up by some hypnotic pop, with “Everything Blue” (featuring TV Girl samples), the night started coming to a close.
Thankfully, Boston got a well-deserved encore, a spoil for the city’s enthusiasm. Seeing the writing on the wall, I purchased a cassette tape before the end, without an ounce of buyer’s remorse. The abundance of nostalgia was seen in Clanton’s merchandise situation. There was a plethora of physical media, a perfect branding strategy that goes along with Clanton’s 80s electronic sound. Summarized in one sentence, the concert was a humorous and well-balanced time capsule, and probably the closest thing to a disco in the late 2020s.
Sofia Graupera ‘30 is a Classical DJ and associate in the Sales department at WHRB.