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Review by Hannah Vaccaro | Photos by Caroline Zeeman | May 13, 2023 | Fox Theater in Oakland, CA
Lizzy McAlpine began her U.S. leg of “The End of the Movie” tour in April and wrapped up the tour in Oakland, California before heading off to the U.K. and Europe next month. Lizzy brought on singer-songwriter Olivia Barton to open for her on this leg of the tour, and the two created a perfect show for the audience.
As soon as Barton steps on stage, the crowd rings out in cheers and excitement. Beaming, Barton greets the audience, introduces herself, and begins her set. In between songs, Barton showcases her sweet and goofy personality, especially when introducing what fans call “The Fish Song.” One by one, you can see a sea of phones come out of pockets and begin to film the song that unintentionally went viral, according to Olivia.
Olivia Barton was the perfect opener for Lizzy. With a similar stripped back sound to McAlpine, Barton’s light vocals kept the audience’s attention and her lyrics tugged at heartstrings. Her acoustic set consisted of songs from her 2022 album “This is a Good Sign.”
Lizzy’s stage set for this tour mimicked that of a theatrical set. Walls of a bedroom were built upstage with posters and a window. A couple of couches were to the right and left of the stage, which McAlpine used to lounge on while singing a new song of hers. Center stage was a keyboard and a lamp, which tied the cozy bedroom vibes together.
McAlpine’s set consisted of 11 songs, most of which were from her “Five Seconds Flat” album. She intertwined short introductions to the songs in between playing and encouraged audience interaction when singing her new song, “Broken Glass." The audience could be heard singing every word as Lizzy sang each song.
Lizzy expressed how she was a theatre kid growing up as she gestures to her set. To add to this element of her personality, she included sound effects as transitions in between songs, as if the audience was watching a play unfold. Such transitions included rain sounds after “Called You Again,” that fit well with the message of “Ceilings” that followed. Even more so, McAlpine surprised the audience with a cover of “She Used To Be Mine” from the Broadway Musical Waitress.
Ending the show with an audience favorite, “Orange Show Speedway”, Lizzy swept the audience away with flawless vocal run offs. From smooth transitions to ambient lighting, Lizzy ended this leg of the tour with a bang. She said “Let’s party!” and everyone did!
SET LIST FOR FOX THEATER
an ego thing
Over-the-Ocean Call (Andrew)
all my ghosts
doomsday
ceilings
Give Me A Minute
called you again
erase me
Pancakes for Dinner
She Used to Be Mine (cover)
orange show speedway
