Cavetown’s “Bittersweet Daze” tour recently made its way to Utah, playing the night of July 25 at the Great Saltair.
Joining Cavetown were openers mxmtoon and Ricky Montgomery. Together, the three created a unique show with sets reflective of their distinctive performance styles and personalities.
Cavetown
Cavetown emerged on stage surrounded by prop stalagmites and colorful lights outlining his silhouette. Upon stepping into the light, he took a moment to wave to the people in the pit and on the balconies.
Throughout the whole set, Cavetown regularly addressed the audience. Most often, he would address the heat and stuffiness of the venue and encourage the audience through it. He also regularly thanked the attendees and told everyone they were doing great. He waved to groups in the crowd and encouraged people to sing or clap along with the songs.
As a performer, Cavetown felt very youthful and casual. Not like he was performing for a crowd, but having a good time with them. He often hopped around the stage or swayed in front of the microphone in an unpressured way. He was easy to watch, not just because of his good vocals and incredible visuals, but because it’s easy to get invested in someone who looks like they’re just having fun.
He wasn’t performing alone either. The band was regularly a part of the performance. Frequent little riffs took place and regular interactions occurred between band members and Cavetown.
Overall the set included just as much of his personality as it did his songs. The entire set created a genuine and fun performance to watch.
mxmtoon
mxmtoon’s performance was much more intimate compared to the performances of Ricky Montgomery and Cavetown.
The 23-year-old singer-songwriter regularly asked the audience if they were doing okay. She said “I love you” back whenever she heard someone shout it at her. She also discussed her experience coming out and how her fan base has provided her with a community she feared she wouldn’t have.
mxmtoon’s set felt very human. She laughed and sang with the crowd and made jokes with the audience, in the same way, a circle of friends would.
Visually, the performance wasn’t too eye-catching. The singer didn’t command the stage in the same way other performers of the night did. While she’d dance and bounce around the stage as she performed, she wasn’t too dynamic and her movement became repetitive. The stage lighting would occasionally change or move with her, but overall the set wasn’t as interesting to watch as it was to listen to.
The performance as a whole was good. The vocals sounded just like recordings and the humanness of her presence was comforting. While the set would have most likely been more enjoyable as a fan with preexisting investment in the artist, the performance as a whole was pleasant.
Ricky Montgomery
Ricky Montgomery was easily the most theatric performance of the night.
While he didn’t interact with the crowd in the more personal way that mxmtoon and Cavetown did, he definitely knew how to work the audience. The 30-year-old indie artist often solicited cheering and participation from the audience. This made the performance feel interactive.
Montgomery is definitely a performer. His energy was high and his movements very dynamic. He often crouched towards the stage or sat on his knees singing in a very rock n’ roll reminiscent way.
The band playing with Montgomery worked seamlessly with his performance, providing background music to the speeches Montgomery gave. Montgomery often interacted with band members in a way that gave the whole performance a vibrant personality.
Montgomery put on a very attention-grabbing performance. While his vocals were great, his stage presence was incredible. It was difficult to turn my eyes away from the performance.
