This September, I had the pleasure of seeing Maude Latour’s first show in Portland, OR since 2019 at Aladdin Theater. I wasn’t super familiar with her music before going, aside from a few songs making their way into generated playlists on Spotify. After leaving the show, I was definitely converted into a fan.
The show opened with a set from Denver-musician Devon Again. The crowd was large already and people definitely came early to see her perform. There were even loads of people wearing official and home-made Devon Again tee shirts. She was an exciting performer and a perfect warm up to energize the crowd for Maude.
Latour opened her set with “I am not the sun” and “Lunch” from her EP released in June of this year called Twin Flame. As the set went on, I was in awe of how much she talked with the fans. Some artists have “talk breaks” written into their setlists, but Maude seemed to chat with the audience after almost every song. She would either tell the story of the song, ask how the crowd was doing, and even took a couple of BeReals with fans. You could really feel the genuine connection she felt with her fans.
The most memorable moment of the night was during the acoustic portion. During the song “Trees”, she had the audience split in half and sing lyrics over each other, slightly delayed. “Everything is everything and I see you in everything” the crowd sang in the dark theater, with just a spotlight on Maude and her guitarist. At the end of the song, Maude tells the crowd that the song was written about losing her grandmother, and that she always thinks of her when looking at trees. She said that driving through Oregon has made her feel comforted by how many trees there are everywhere.
The vulnerability that she lent to the crowd was beautiful and I know that the connections given throughout the night really made this a special show. I know the Portland fans are just hoping that she doesn’t wait another four years to come back.
Devon Again
Maude Latour
