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half•alive's stunning Portland performance

Writer's picture: Brittani WertBrittani Wert

Plenty of bands can put on a concert for a packed room of fans, but half•alive truly puts on a show, bringing their music to life with a theatrical performance.


The band's stop at Portland's Roseland Theater came towards the end of a North American spring tour in support of their sophomore album, Conditions of A Punk. half•alive has grown immensely in the last few years with the massive success of hits like "still feel.," "Did I Make You Up?" and "The Fall," alongside their mesmerizing choreography that sets them apart. The band consists of lead singer Josh Taylor, drummer Brett Kramer, and bassist J. Tyler Johnson, and the live shows also welcomed two dancers to the stage.


Fans lined up around the block, eager to secure their spot in the sold-out venue as opener Tessa Violet prepared to take the stage to warm up the crowd -- and warmed up they were.


As the lights went down and the packed theater awaited the start of half•alive's set, a large white sheet was strung across the stage. The starting notes of "Tip Toes" rang out, and perfectly timed silhouettes danced behind the sheet as lights illuminated them from behind. For nearly two songs, we were treated to a performance of light, movement, and music that I've never come close to in a smaller venue show.


The 25-song setlist took attendees not only through the band's diverse catalog, but through the seasons with distinct summer, fall, winter, and spring acts of the show denoting the passing of time and life changes that live in their songwriting. The stage setup was minimal but fluid, with shifting lighting and moving pedestals as the choreography brought the music to life. The dancers moved on and off the stage throughout the night, and frontman Josh Taylor even joined them for one track for a beautiful display of perfectly coordinated entanglement.


The Summer section kicked off with "Summerland," of course, Fall included tracks like "Never Been Better" featuring a Tessa Violet duet and one of my favorites, "What's Wrong." Winter slowed things down with softer tracks like "Beige," which is their latest song release, and Spring wrapped up with crowd favorites like"Did I Make You Up?" "still feel.," and "creature."


From the dancing to an improv phone call with someone from the crowd to a cover of "Strangers Like Me" from Disney’s 1999 film Tarzan, you never knew what was going to happen next so the crowd's eyes were glued to the stage.


I would highly recommend catching half•alive the next time they come through for a full music experience, and I'm thrilled that I had the chance to see them in a smaller venue because I can only imagine what their incredible production will be on a larger stage.


Check out Conditions of A Punk here and the full gallery below!



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