{"id":3928,"date":"2019-03-02T00:07:05","date_gmt":"2019-03-02T05:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=3928"},"modified":"2019-12-17T20:14:01","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T01:14:01","slug":"review-quinn-xcii-house-of-blues-2-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2019\/03\/02\/review-quinn-xcii-house-of-blues-2-26\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Quinn XCII @ House of Blues 2\/26"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Allie Antonevich<\/em><\/p>\n

On Tuesday, February 26, the House of Blues exploded in sound with artists Christian French, Ashe, and Quinn XCII.<\/p>\n

Opener Christian French, a 21-year-old singer-songwriter, recently dropped out of Indiana University to pursue a full-time career in music. French released his first electro-pop laden EP, Natural Colors,<\/em> two months ago. French\u2019s excitement to perform was palpable as he led the audience to sing along with popular songs \u201cBy Myself\u201d and \u201cLove Ride.\u201d Though it was only French and his guitarist on stage, he took up a lot of space.<\/p>\n

Ashe, donning a red power suit, took the stage only a few minutes later. Before starting her set, she gushed about how excited she was to be back in Boston. \u201cThis is my home,\u201d she said with a smile, and explained as a Berklee undergraduate she walked by House of Blues all the time. She started her set with \u201cCan\u2019t Hide,\u201d a popular track she collaborated on with EDM producer Whethan. Ashe holds an impressive vocal range, entering almost a full backbend as she hit the high notes of her songs. She threw in a few remixes, one blending her song \u201cRight to It\u201d with Kid Cudi\u2019s \u201cPursuit of Happiness,\u201d and brought an incredible energy that left a lasting impression.<\/p>\n

Almost three hours after the doors opened, a 5-minute countdown to announce headliner Quinn XCII\u2019s arrival appeared on the screen. Nonsensical, distorted graphics flashed on the stage screen, and he then emerged in a jumpsuit with the state of Michigan on the back. Without addressing anyone in the room, he launched into his popular song \u201cSad Still.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Michigan With Love, <\/em>Quinn XCII\u2019s sophomore album, was released this past February. The electronic pop album centers on relationships and mental health. Quinn XCII is at his strongest when he follows his own well-developed formula: catchy hooks, thudding bases, and lighter lyrics. From Michigan With Love <\/em>isn\u2019t very different than his debut album in sound; it feels more like a continuation of what already works for him.<\/p>\n

Even though he doesn\u2019t take a lot of artistic risks, Quinn XCII maintained a high energy and smooth transitions between old and recently-released music. He\u2019s at his best when he jumps around the stage, waving his arms, immersing himself in his own lyrics and beat. He showcased his strong vocals, and they did not waver in tone despite him essentially doing a full workout on stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cCandle\u201d and \u201cAbel and Cain\u201d were two back-to-back, lighter songs before he spoke a bit about mental health. \u201cIf you\u2019re going through shit,\u201d he said to the audience, \u201cyou have a tomorrow if you choose to have it. We\u2019re all in this shit together.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was the perfect lead in to \u201cLife Must Go On,\u201d a song that repeats the lyrics, \u201cEven though my world\u2019s burning down \/ I know I can get through the fall.\u201d He gets wrapped up in his own performance; half of the excitement of watching him is not just for the sound, but for the visual aspects.<\/p>\n

A successful musician lives by the songs he writes and performs. Quinn XCII is living proof of that. His tour continues until April 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Allie Antonevich On Tuesday, February 26, the House of Blues exploded in sound with artists Christian French, Ashe, and Quinn XCII. Opener Christian French, a 21-year-old singer-songwriter, recently dropped out of Indiana University to pursue a full-time career in music. French released his first electro-pop laden EP, Natural Colors, two months ago. French\u2019s excitement […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15726,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1525,15],"tags":[698,697,202,696],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3928"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3928"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3933,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3928\/revisions\/3933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}