Rebecca Black @ The Sinclair 3/31
Photography by Gwyneth Moe
Review by Kendal Evans
Gotta get down on Fri– Monday? This past Monday night, Rebecca Black brought the boiler room to The Sinclair in Cambridge as part of her Salvation Tour.
Most know Rebecca Black as an early YouTube viral sensation, but over the years she has evolved into something much greater. Simply put — she is a pop star. Her second studio album “Salvation,” which was released in late February, has been revered by the queer club and rave scene as pure, hyperpop fun. It has even garnered praise from known harsh critics, such as Anthony Fantano, who said that with this project, Black has taken “another step forward in showing us that she is a pop artist worth watching over the next several years.”
The show opened with support from Montreal-based electronic-pop duo Blue Hawaii, comprised of members Raphaelle “Ra” Standell-Preston and Alexander Kirby. Alexander took charge of the instrumental and mixing with a DJ setup on stage, and Ra brought the vocals.
Their set, which they said was to “lube you guys [us] up for Rebecca Black,” really delivered. They played a mix of songs from their 2024 album “Diamond Shovel,” new singles, and unreleased tracks. I found their strongest performance to be of an untitled unreleased track, with powerful lyrics about living in a capitalist hell set to an intense, rave-pop beat. After performing it, Ra used her platform to speak on the current socio-political nightmare state of the world and advocated for a free Palestine and a free Ukraine. Shortly after, she took a tequila shot like a champ and sang her heart out to the following tracks, all with a vocal injury! All in all, the duo brought exactly the energy needed to prepare us for Salvation. Blue Hawaii will continue to support Rebecca Black for the remainder of her Salvation tour.
At precisely 9 p.m., a countdown clock began, and the crowd locked in. At the end of the countdown, the word “Friday” took over the on-stage display in bright pink lettering, and the remix version of her earliest hit “Friday” started playing. It ended with a voice: “Order in the court, Rebecca Black is guilty.” Immediately, her two incredibly talented backup dancers, Joseph Szekula and Charles Fournier, took to the stage, wearing sparkly police caps, and aggressively made out. It was incredible.
Then, Ms. Rebecca Black herself finally came out. She started her set with two hits from her new album, “Tears In My Pocket” and “TRUST!” While she performed, Charles and Joseph unwrapped the white sheath surrounding her, revealing an incredible outfit: the teeniest denim miniskirt there ever was and a crop top that read “I’m confused.” Her vocals were particularly strong during “TRUST!” — it really “got me going like ga ga ga” and set the tone for the rest of the show.
The next run of songs Rebecca performed was consistently strong. It started with “Twist the Knife,” which was another incredible vocal standout and one of my favorites of the night. Then, she showcased her talent for dance during “American Doll.” Charles and Joseph started the performance with an incredible routine carrying prop guns, and then Rebecca came out in a brand new outfit, which included a denim corset with a massive bullet bra. (Your honor, she served). She continued to bring on the song-dance double threat as she played “Crumbs” and “Sick to My Stomach” from her first studio album “Let Her Burn”, as well as “Do You Even Think About Me?” from Salvation and “Personal” from her EP “Rebecca Black Was Here.”
After that incredibly strong run, I did not know how the show could get better, but it did. Rebecca took a short break from performing to address how happy she was to be back at the Sinclair, where she kicked off her first-ever headlining tour. Then, she wished her dancer Charles a very happy birthday before kicking off the “Sugar Water Cyanide” segment. During the segment, she brought a fan on stage to drink the “Sugar Water Cyanide” before she performed the hit, which has been going viral on TikTok. It was easily the most energetic and fun song of the night. The audience was bouncing and singing along as trippy, rave visuals played on the display behind her.
The main set closed on a banging note with “Better In My Memory” and “Worth It for the Feeling,” from her aforementioned EP. But, with the energy in the room so high, the crowd was not ready for the show to be over. The people next to me even started a chant for “one more song.”
On cue, Rebecca and her dancers returned for the encore. She started it with her collaboration with Slayyter, “Read My Mind,” which was a wonderful blend of hyperpop with electric rock components. Then, she slowed it down a bit to play her song “Girlfriend,” which was a nice palette cleanser before she closed out the show with her latest album’s title track. “Salvation” was a perfect way to end the show. Her dancers brought the energy with some of the coolest choreography of the night. Here, Rebecca showed how to close a show, bringing what I thought was another standout performance from the night.
After this performance, I’m convinced that Rebecca Black could be on track to become a main pop girl, a la Tate McRae and Charli xcx, if she continues to ride this momentum. It is absolutely worth it to catch a show on the Salvation tour, or a DJ set by her if she is coming to your area. This was easily the most fun night I’ve had in awhile and will remain a highlight concert experience for the year. 
