{"id":54957,"date":"2026-09-30T12:32:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=54957"},"modified":"2026-09-30T12:32:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:32:23","slug":"malcom-todd-mgm-music-hall-9-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2026\/09\/30\/malcom-todd-mgm-music-hall-9-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Malcom Todd @ MGM Music Hall 9\/26"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photos by Brianna Benitez<\/p>\n

Review by Isabelle Ireland<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Malcolm Todd electrified MGM Fenway on Saturday, Sept. 26, in the middle of a New England nor\u2019easter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Todd stepped onstage at 9 p.m., the crowd was already buzzing. Fans had waited hours in the rain, with some lining up as early as 8 a.m. Despite the pouring rain, everyone seemed determined to make it inside.<\/span><\/p>\n

What stood out most was how kind the crowd was to one another \u2014 something I haven\u2019t experienced at a concert in a while. A young girl and her mother shared an umbrella with me while we waited outside on Lansdowne Street. A man dressed as a banana wandered around talking to people about how he had scalped tickets to get there. When a girl accidentally bumped into me, she apologized profusely, which quickly turned into a conversation about how much she loved Todd. Even before the show began, it felt like everyone genuinely wanted to be there together.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The show opened with live footage of Todd and his bandmates entering the stage like an NBA lineup. Each band member, or \u201cplayer,\u201d was announced with a performative handshake before Todd appeared. He opened with \u201cJean Skirt,\u201d my favorite song from his most recent album. At under a minute long, it was the perfect opener \u2014 short, unexpected and energetic.<\/span><\/p>\n

After loud cheers, Todd\u2019s guitarist shredded into \u201cBreathe,\u201d amplified by the crowd\u2019s screams. The song faded into soft moans and breaths before transitioning into \u201cMalcolm in the Middle.\u201d One of the best production choices throughout the night was Todd frequently turning on the house lights during his biggest songs. During \u201cMalcolm in the Middle,\u201d he could see his fans smiling and shouting his lyrics back at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The set was drenched in red lighting, with a vintage-style screen behind Todd showing live footage, old videos and movie clips matching his lyrics. Todd is still getting comfortable onstage, but his awkwardness has a specific charm that his fans clearly love. When he dances, he grabs the sleeves of his sweater as if he is nervous about what to do with his hands before suddenly breaking into a little dance. His innocent expressions paired with the sexual energy of the red lights made for a captivating contrast.<\/span><\/p>\n

Todd shifted effortlessly between softer moments and songs that had the crowd screaming every word. Before \u201cFree.99,\u201d he acknowledged how difficult it may have been for fans to make it to the concert and thanked everyone for coming. During \u201cDifficult Love,\u201d I noticed very few phones in the air; fans seemed to be living in the moment instead of recording the entire show. At the end of the bridge, \u201cB**CH IS NOT A NICE WORD\u201d appeared in bold black letters on the screen, causing an eruption of laughter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis one is for the students!\u201d Todd shouted before \u201cWalk to Class.\u201d He crushed the high notes, fake-cried and encouraged fans to \u201cgive someone you love a hug and a kiss.\u201d His bandmates responded by kissing him on the cheek before Todd turned to the crowd and mouthed \u201cmwah.\u201d It was ridiculous in the best possible way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Then came one of the night\u2019s most memorable surprises: Todd brought his mom onstage.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two performed \u201cOh! Darling\u201d by The Beatles for his parents\u2019 29th anniversary. Todd\u2019s mom dedicated the song to her husband and absolutely killed her portions. Todd visibly blushed throughout the performance, and it was easy to see where he and his sisters got their musical talent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Then came \u201cObsessica,\u201d creating one of the night\u2019s funniest contrasts. Moments earlier, Todd had been singing a Beatles duet with his mom; now he was lying on the ground shredding his guitar under red lights. He followed with \u201c4Me 4Me,\u201d \u201cMr. Incorrect\u201d and \u201cSweet Boy,\u201d showcasing just how strong his vocals are even when competing with a screaming crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

The emotional side of the show returned with \u201cMake Me a Better Man,\u201d introduced by the handwritten message, \u201cI will be a better man. Love, Malcolm.\u201d After \u201cGun to My Head\u201d on piano, Todd told the crowd how much he loved the East Coast and how lucky he felt. His appreciation for everyone spending their Saturday night with him felt genuine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The final stretch of the set brought some of the biggest crowd reactions. \u201cGood Bye\u201d featured lights flashing between the stage and house while Todd sang alongside his fans, followed by \u201cCheer Me On\u201d and \u201cChest Pain (I Love).\u201d During the latter, the screen showed iconic movie kisses ranging from Disney\u2019s \u201cUp\u201d to \u201cFifty Shades of Grey.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Then Todd shouted, \u201cOh sh*t! I\u2019ve been looking for these everywhere!\u201d before launching into \u201cEarrings.\u201d The crowd sang so loudly that Todd let them take over the chorus, removing his earpiece just to hear them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He closed the main set with \u201cI Saw Your Face,\u201d where his facial expressions made the emotion impossible to miss. Anger, disappointment and sadness were all visible, but underneath it was clear how happy he was to be performing for a sold-out crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

The encore was just as playful. A Magic 8 Ball appeared onscreen, eventually landing on \u201cDO THAT AGAIN,\u201d prompting Todd to return wearing a New England Patriots jersey. He shared childhood videos before performing \u201cLeave It All to Me,\u201d the theme song from \u201ciCarly.\u201d After showing footage of fans singing along, Todd closed with \u201cRoommates,\u201d leaving the crowd dancing until the final note.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Overall, Malcolm Todd\u2019s show was pure bliss. His voice is incredible, but what made the night special was the community he has built around his music. Through the rain and chaos of a sold-out Saturday night, his fans were some of the kindest and most enthusiastic I have witnessed in years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Todd is still growing into the size of the stages he is beginning to play, but that is part of what makes him exciting to watch. His awkwardness, humor, musical talent and genuine appreciation for his fans make him captivating. If this is Todd on one of his biggest tours yet, I cannot wait to see what happens when the stages get even bigger.<\/span><\/p>\n

For now, he is crushing it \u2014 and I would be more than happy to see him do that again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\" \"\" \"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photos by Brianna Benitez Review by Isabelle Ireland Malcolm Todd electrified MGM Fenway on Saturday, Sept. 26, in the middle of a New England nor\u2019easter. Before Todd stepped onstage at 9 p.m., the crowd was already buzzing. Fans had waited hours in the rain, with some lining up as early as 8 a.m. Despite the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26199,"featured_media":54978,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1895,1525,1523,15,1530],"tags":[2776,1920],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54957"}],"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\/26199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54957"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54994,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54957\/revisions\/54994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}