REVIEW: SNAIL MAIL @ ROYALE 4/8

By Abbey Chaitin

On April 8th, Snail Mail was welcomed to the Royale by adoring fans. After having to delay part of her tour due to polyps found on her vocal cords, Jordan was overjoyed to return to the stage. The artist mentioned that this performance was her fourth of the tour and emphasized what a wonderful welcome Boston had granted her. Many fans stood outside the venue for up to two hours in an attempt to score a front-row viewing of the show. 

Her opener, Joy Again had an electrifying effect on the crowd. Most well-known for their song Looking Out for You, Joy Again was a welcome addition to the show line-up. The band took the stage around 7 PM, and had the crowd singing along moments later. As their set came to a close, one of their singers and guitarists, Sachi DiSerafino, mentioned how grateful they were to be on tour with Snail Mail, and how excited the audience should be for her performance.

At 8 PM, anticipation built as fans waited for Snail Mail to take the stage. Starting with a single from her new album Valentine, Jordan captivated the audience with her seemingly effortless rendition of the song. She followed with more songs from her new album, but also several from her second album, Lush. She revved up the crowd with one of her most popular songs, Heat Wave, and then juxtaposed that with a slower one from her new album, Madonna. She approached the fans as she sang Madonna with her mic in hand. As she began the chorus, she knelt down and reached to the fans, inciting a loud cheer. 

Over the course of the show, Jordan spoke about her struggle with polyps, mentioning that her vocal range changed drastically. She also noted that due to this change in vocal range, all her songs have to be higher than before. Numerous fans shouted supportive words at her, and she detailed her journey with the polyps.

She finished her set with Forever (Sailing), and Jordan and her band exited the stage. Moments later she emerged from backstage with her guitarist, and picked up her acoustic guitar as fans screamed “Pristine”, which she pretended to play for 20 seconds. She then said “I’m just kidding. I’m messing with you,” and began to play a song from her new album, Mia. After playing Mia, she picked up her electric guitar and began to play Pristine, another one of her most well-known songs. The crowd was so excited by this encore that fans actually started moshing in the center—I never thought of Snail Mail as an artist one could mosh to, but I guess I was wrong. 

Snail Mail’s show was all-encompassing of her career so far. She played a combination of her old music and her new music—appealing to all types of Snail Mail fans. She had a compelling stage presence that complemented her music well. Seeing one of my favorite artists live reminded me how fortunate I was to be attending live music after what felt like an indefinite break.