{"id":6110,"date":"2019-11-12T11:48:57","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T16:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=6110"},"modified":"2019-12-17T20:06:28","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T01:06:28","slug":"review-toro-y-moi-house-of-blues-11-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2019\/11\/12\/review-toro-y-moi-house-of-blues-11-6\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Toro y Moi @ House of Blues 11\/6"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sarah Burnick<\/em><\/p>\n

The initial beats had the audience\u2019s bodies grooving, and with each song an entirely new mood. Toro y Moi brought his experimental chillwave to Boston\u2019s House of Blues, Wednesday November 6, taking complete control of the vibe and emotions of the crowd while playing a range of his border-breaking collection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Chaz Bundick even came onto the brilliantly lit stage \u2013 the vibrant colors surrounding the stage complementing his guitar-heavy sound and R&B influence \u2013 up-and-coming rapper Channel Tres, a previous collaborator on songs with Tyler the Creator and JPEGMAFIA, set the initial mood. The Compton, California native brought his classic Detroit-house-meets-L.A.-rap dance set to Boston, controlling the crowd\u2019s movements with hits \u201cBlack Moses\u201d and \u201cGlide.\u201d Accompanied by two dancers, the three men brought sexy back with their movements and Tres\u2019 deep, Barry White-esque voice. Every song brought on a new excitement, warming up the crowd for Toro y Moi unlike any other opener experienced before. Ranging from the poetic \u201cBrilliant N****\u201d to the fresh dance beats of \u201cTopdown\u201d that had the whole crowd\u2019s energy pumping, Channel Tres truly brought the energy of a headliner before Bundick had even made an appearance. Tres and Bundick\u2019s collaborations like \u201cWho Am I? (Channel Tres Remix)\u201d suggests further partnership of the groundbreaking artists, one that should excite the EDM and rap crowd.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Toro y Moi took the stage later in the evening, beginning his set with \u201c3-28-18b\u201d from his most recent release<\/span> Soul Trash<\/span>, and \u201cWindows\u201d from the 2017 <\/span>Boo Boo <\/span>album. With the adrenaline high and the crowd ecstatic for Bundick to take the stage, he demonstrated his mesmorizing ability to set the mood of a sold out venue, even one as spacious as the House of Blues. Taking it down a notch from Channel Tres\u2019 funky set, Toro brings the crowd on a ride of his experimental, synth heavy sound, setting a vibe that could only be described as \u201cthe chillest\u201d by surrounding concert-goers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Diving into his 2019 album <\/span>Outer Peace <\/span>with \u201cNew House,\u201d Bundick continued to enthrall the crowd, his music casting a spell making it impossible not to move along to the techno beats and favorites \u201cGirl Like You\u201d and \u201cOrdinary Pleasure,\u201d setting off the dance party for the rest of the night. Following with \u201cLaws of the Universe,\u201d Bundick encouraged the crowd to celebrate every part of ourselves, as our failures make us stronger, weirder, and more fun at parties like the one he created at House of Blues.<\/span><\/p>\n

The influences behind each song shone, paying homage to his home in the Bay Area, California with \u201cMonte Carlo\u201d and to his genre-bending sound that has fluctuated and matured over his years as an artist with \u201cGrown Up Calls\u201d from his 2013 LP <\/span>Anything in Return.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point in the show, after grooving to the first half of his set, the audience broke into song celebrating Bundick\u2019s birthday which was the day after, making him laugh and humanizing the beat-maker, whose sounds truly enchanted those listening, as he took a step away from his desk of synths, mixers, and keyboard. Spreading his love and appreciation to the crowd between songs connected the musician to his adoring fans before him, his voice and music setting a Wednesday mood unlike any other, one of passion for the music he was playing, and the love and energy it brings to those who have fallen head over heels for Toro\u2019s lo-fi, disco influenced sound.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bundick left nothing out of his set, encompassing who he is as an artist and his journey from bedroom dream pop to his trademark ambient R&B chillwave sound. Toro brought older songs into a new light, with \u201cLilly\u201d and even \u201cNew Beat\u201d from his second release in 2011. The show tied together Toro\u2019s wide range of music that reflected his life experiences over the past 20 years, starting small in his South Carolina bedroom in 2001. Featuring the old and new, tying the whole show together with hits \u201cRose Quartz\u201d and \u201cFreelance,\u201d truly showcased who Toro y Moi is, was, and will be as an artist as his potential for greatness as one of the leading house artists of our generation has already shown through and will continue to with his future projects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n