It was nearly two hours before show time and there was already a line in front of The Varsity Theater for Tuesday night’s show. My friend and I cracked a couple of jokes as we walked past the young kids on our way to a pre-show drink (or multiple drinks and three plates of food… I mean, let’s be real). We started making bets on how many of the kids in line were dropped off by their parents right after elementary school let out. Okay, maybe we were being brats, but the girls in line seemed young, extremely young and that made the drinks go down a bit too smooth during happy hour. Realizing that you will probably be the oldest one at a show is never an easy thing to deal with but after a couple of drinks, we were okay with it and we made our way inside The Varsity for whatever the Noah Cyrus show would bring.
Kicking off the early show was Maty Noyes (pronounced Noise which is actually pretty freaking perfect and brilliant as a last name for a musician). At only 21 years old, Maty has clearly already carved out a following in the over saturated world of pop- music. Her voice was very smooth and her music was upbeat and poppy without being obnoxious or clearly fake. There was something about Maty that screamed youth but not immaturity. Although a fairly new face in the scene, as I said, it’s clear that people already know Maty and her music. I was pleasantly surprised to see the support that this young musician got from the audience throughout her short opening set. I may have been in the minority as someone that couldn’t sing along to her songs but I assure that that will not last long. I may or may not have spent my drive into work this morning jamming her infectiously up beat songs wishing I was back at The Varsity.
Closing out the quick Monday night show was the one and only Noah Cyrus. Yes, she is a Cyrus… as in the sister of the infamous Miley Cyrus and brother Trace Cyrus who was in Metro Station– a personal favorite of mine– and daughter of Billy Ray himself. Here’s the thing, I like the Cyrus’. There’s no denying the power behind Billy Ray. You can often catch me jamming to Metro Station and I will never deny the power of Miley’s voice or live show. Full disclosure, I didn’t even know there was another sibling in the picture but I think that helped me fall deeper in love with Noah and her music. It would have been so easy for her to bill last night’s show as “Sister of Miley Cyrus” or “Daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus” but, instead, Monday night’s show as just “Noah Cyrus in Concert!” Sure, you could assume that she was in the family but she didn’t rely on the namesake to sell out the venue. So maybe last night’s show didn’t sell out but it was clear that the people in the audience were there for her, not her name, and I think that made it a much better show than a sold out show full of people just hoping that her family had made the trip with her.
Noah’s voice is nothing short of beautiful. There’s this sense of soul and pain hidden in the style of a pop princess that is impossible to ignore. Although clearly a pop musician that would fit into any top-40 playlist, Noah’s voice stands out as being real and unique. It’s soothing and calming yet, when matched with the up-beat instrumentation behind it, makes you want to jump and dance. With only an EP and a spattering of singles out, Noah filled out her set with a perfect selection of a couple of covers. Her cover of MIA’s “Paper Planes” may have been a bit too dated for the young audience but it definitely spiked my interested along with the interest of the parents and older kids around me. Her cover of Hozier’s “Take Me To Church” was unique and a perfect choice for the range of her voice. Although a bit hesitant to even be at this show (my friend/ photographer convinced me that this would be better than just sitting at home), I ended up loving absolutely every second of Noah’s set. It’s clear that she is more than just a Cyrus, she is a Noah Cyrus with a voice and style all of her own. There are big things ahead for this bright eyed and bushy tailed 18 year old and I, for one, can’t wait to watch her journey.
Last night ended up being a pretty amazing show musically and energy wise but I think my favorite part was watching this one dad and his two daughters. The one older daughter was clearly embarrassed by her dad’s dancing skills or lack there of (which seemed to match mine) so she leaned on the wall clutching her phone. The younger daughter was all into it and was dancing her heart out (with oddly similar dance moves to my friend) only after seeing her dad doing the same.
Although this seems like a super small moment to pick out of a concert, it was the moment that will stick with me for a long time to come. It was just so beautiful and perfect and the icing on the cake when it came to last night.
