Back in early September, I was able to attend Zheani's set at the Fonda Theatre. I was covering the night for US Rocker Music. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, we were unable to put the review up on US Rocker Music. It was such a fun set and I've decided to post the set here on my personal blog site. Why am I posting my review here and not on the site? Like somethings in life, it is a complicated situation.
We do have to talk about that tour name, Maenad. Maenads are female followers of Dionysus. The translation is the raving ones. It needs to be noted that the tour started in March way before Greek mythology created an uproar at the Paris Olympics opening ceremonies. (Your reviewer / photographer wants to admit that this needed to be researched. Extensive knowledge of Greek mythology is not a forte.)
The set started with two dancers coming on stage. Their bodies twisting under the razor edged stars that decorated the ceiling above. A double dose of Pris from Blade Runner. Zheani entered the stage wearing a white Victorian corset that included black jewelry to emphasize her occult sexuality. A pitcher of red liquid was brought on stage and there was a rush to the edge with it, but that pitcher and liquid was needed for later in the set so not a drop was spilled.
Her song “Bleed For Me” had the crowd hyped early in the set as they chanted with her, “Bleed for me b*tch. Bleed for me b*tch.” Fast forward a couple songs to “Dirtbike” and the crowd was dancing to the trap metal lyrics about an Australian real life horror story, “I bet regret is what my dad felt on the daily. Best thing he ever did was motherf*cking make me. Moving dope interstate, I was just a baby. He got hooked on that, and there was no one there to save me.” Her father plays an important role in her lyrics. She asked the audience, “Did anyone here grow up in hell?” Her song “Dirt on the Name of Steven” includes the lyrics, “They called my dad a creeper when they stripped me away from him.”
The imagery of her show was meant to emphasize and entertain. When she sang “Pour it out for health,” she took a water bottle and poured the water into the crowd. At one point her dancers put on long black arms that they used to cross the stage like the xenomorphs of Aliens. Using Hollywood imagery in this review may seem counter to Zheani’s stance on Hollywood that she holds in her song “F*ck the Hollywood Cult,” but on the other hand this set did occur in the heart of Hollywood. Throughout the set, her videographer could be seen swinging a GoPro high and low and every which way. For the song “Heresy,” Zheani fell back into the arms of her dancers, as if in need of revival. “I had a dream. There was a fire. And it burned for a hundred years. Oh it was a wonderful fire,” she told the audience at one point.
As the set came to a close, that pitcher of red liquid made a return visit along with another. The two dancers took the pitchers and poured it over Zheani’s body. Petals from flowers were tossed into the audience (which were collected from the floor after the set by devoted fans). “I love you, stay wet,” was her goodbye to the audience.
Does anyone else think a future DIY team-up between Zheani’s trap metal and Meth Math’s reggaeton could be a dream tour?
ZAND opened the night and had to deal with technical difficulties, “Sorry, it’s been a shitty start.” With tracks emphasizing the bass, they gradually warmed up the crowd until all were bouncing. They had the crowd so wrapped around their fingers that when a request was made for the crowd to drop to their knees and leap into the air, orders were eagerly followed without hesitation. “We support sex workers rights, don’t we?” The set ended with Zand giving a wicked laugh and then walking off stage. Next up was Buttress. “Am I loud enough?” was asked. With a bit of humor, she said she was going to sing her TikTok song. “I’m that girl,” she told the crowd. What song was it? “Brutus.” It highlighted her skills as a beat poet singer. After finishing the song, she said with deadpan humor, “That song became wildly popular. I’m not sure why.” DJ PAX had the crowd dancing between sets while spreading heart signs.
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