Joshua Bassett playing the piano during his performance in Boston of his song, “LA.”
Pop singer, Joshua Bassett, performed in Boston on Saturday, March 25, 2023 as part of his tour, “The Complicated Tour.”
As the band started playing and the stage lights started flickering, Bassett gradually raised his voice and called into the microphone “Bostoonnn!” from behind the stage. He then ran and jumped onto the stage, starting off with his song, “Feel Something.” His high-energy and amusing dance moves continued into his second song, “Secret,” as well as later performances. Fans clapped their hands together with the beat during the highly-anticipated, “Finally Free,” as Bassett stood on a stool, clapping with them.
There were many notable performances during the show. Expectedly, “Lifeline” created a choked up Bassett and crowd. Before the song, he said, “back in 2021, I was diagnosed with septic shock and heart failure, and the doctor told me I had twelve hours to live, which is a wild thing to hear when you’re 20… I was fortunate that I had my mom.” He also encouraged his fans to make amends in their lives and be a lifeline for someone else “because you never know what could change in an instant.” “Set Me Free” was another amazing performance by Bassett, as he had the ability to express freedom while jumping off of a piano and using his high vocal range.
By mashing up his song, “Smoke Slow,” with the iconic Goo Goo Dolls song, “Iris,” Bassett showed his creativity and appealed to fans of different music genres. His guitar-playing and fun piano tricks also reflected his creativity, most prominently in “Lie Lie Lie” and at the end of “Heaven is You,” respectively.
Bassett also covered two songs: Joji’s, “Glimpse of Us” and “Beautiful City,” from the musical “Godspell.” He introduced his second cover saying, “it’s up to us to change the world, so together we can build a beautiful city.” Bassett’s Boston setlist had 21 songs, including the two covers, one mashup, and one medley of four of his older songs.
Just when fans thought the show was over (at least the fans who hadn’t yet seen the setlist), Bassett leapt onto stage again after passing through the audience for a lively encore performance of his single, “SHE SAID HE SAID SHE SAID.”
Throughout the show, Bassett went into the crowd and yes, he walked right in front of me while singing his song, “Different.” He made an effort to create connections with his fans, including holding the young girl next to me’s hand when she reached out, making her day. For his performance of “Common Sense,” fans cleared a path for him to perform in the crowd.
Bassett cracked jokes and expressed his playful personality during this show. From holding up peace signs, to gradually yelling “everyone JUMP” in a silly voice, to playing it cool with a simple “oops” when he slipped while standing on his stool, he engaged the cheering crowd.
Bassett has the ability to create an energetic and interactive environment with his fans, while also encouraging them to take deep breaths and relax. When he slowed down for calmer and more serious songs, he still captivated the crowd. His band, with impressive musical talent, also helped set different moods for each song. Bassett spoke of topics close to his heart, including his recent journey in his faith saying, “I used to think Jesus and all that stuff was something that would matter after this life, but the truth is I found peace now through Jesus.”
The show’s opener, Lindsey Lomis, also gave an amazing performance. Before the tour announcement, I had never heard of her, but she proved to be a great vocalist through her runs and smooth tone. When fans lit up their phone flashlights and waved them back-and-forth while she performed “die with my friends,” Lomis smiled, looking incredibly thankful for the support. Lomis also took the time to meet fans at the merchandise stand after the show. She was extremely kind, as she talked to fans and took pictures with them.
I chose to wait outside for over four hours in the cold to secure a spot relatively close to the stage as it was a general admission show. Luckily, my spot in line was under an overhang. I lost track of how many times waiting fans were asked, “What’s going on here? Who is this line for?” by people attending the Boston Bruins game next door.
The venue, Big Night Live, was a nice space, but there wasn’t much organization in how the fans entered from the waiting room into the concert space. In the waiting room, a security guard announced to not push and shove when the doors would open. However, pushing and shoving became inevitable when all of the fans who already passed the security check stormed in at once, trying to find a close spot to the stage.
Additionally, during the opener’s performance, there were many security guards pacing back-and-forth and conversing right in front of me, which blocked my view at times. Luckily, whatever they needed to sort out was sorted by the time Bassett came on to perform.
So, after all of this, would I recommend attending one of Bassett’s shows on “The Complicated Tour”? Yes, one hundred percent. Bassett smiled throughout the show, creating a fun and inviting atmosphere. His alliterative lyrics, “meet me in the middle of midnight, me, you, my Honda, and the Hollywood sign,” are still stuck in my head (and likely will be for the next month). His talent, whether it be his vocal range, instrumental abilities, or ability to connect with fans, radiated throughout his performance.
