Rex Orange County Debuts "Who Cares?" at Portland's McMenamins Edgefield
As the clouds rolled out and the vibe rolled in over a gorgeous Portland night, you could hear the anticipation in the chanting of the crowd, “Rex, Rex, Rex.” The stage was set with large colorful flowers, a huge neon sign reading “Who Cares?”, and lit up thumbs up around the stage emulating Rex Orange County’s new logo. The perfect setup to celebrate the new album, and wow, was the crowd ready.
A few minutes later, the violins of “MAKING TIME” started and the crowd erupted. You could instantly feel the excitement in the air. As Alex jumped around and sang on stage, the energy at the venue kept rising. Along with the front man, he was accompanied by a full band including a brass section, making songs like, “KEEP IT UP” and “AMAZING” sound even stronger live.
After playing a few songs off the new album, Alex took center stage by himself as the band disappeared and delved into more of his classics off older albums such as Apricot Princess, and Bcos U Will Never B Free. These slower and more poetic songs instantly transported everyone back into their sappy selves. Playing classics like these seems to be what keeps the older fans coming back and the new fans excited to hear some classics they may have just discovered.
After Alex finished playing his solo portion, the band came back on stage and the show continued on with high energy bangers such as, “OPEN A WINDOW,” “Never Enough,” and the cult classic, “Loving Is Easy.” Overall, the show had great ebbs and flows with Alex really showing off his musical repertoire. From the ability to play slow and emotional jams to extremely fun and danceable dreampop-esque hits, Rex Orange County’s musical range really showed its abilities.
Rex Orange County is currently finishing up his U.S leg of The Who Cares? Tour and then will continue on to the U.K, Australia, and Europe. If you want an hour and a half dance party that will instantly boost your mood, make sure to catch them in a city near you!
Review & Photos by: Taylor Sher
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