Lany at the Paper Tiger
On April 29,2017 fans packed the Paper Tiger in San Antonio, TX to see Los Angeles heartthrobs Lany.
After waiting hours (days for some) in the San Antonio heat, Lany fans were eagerly awaiting the start of the show. I made my way to the front of the venue and was greeted with smiling faces. The girls at the front of the line had camped out for almost 24 hours to be front row, but you definitely couldn't tell from their attitudes. They were beaming, telling stories of all the different shows they'd attended on the tour, and even sharing all of the details from a visit from the band that they'd gotten earlier in the day. That's the thing about Lany fans, they're always welcoming, even to me, the girl who had (kind of) cut in line because naturally, I had no idea where I was going. We passed the time by talking about the setlist, they were all screaming with excitement because the band had put the setlist on twitter which included a song that was a fan favorite, but one that was rarely ever played live.
Finally, everyone was let into the venue and after waiting for everyone that camped out to take their spots along the front of the stage, I stepped into a tiny little corner off to the side to wait for the opening band. We all anxiously chatted until the lights went down and out stepped MachineHeart.
I am often underwhelmed with the opening acts on smaller tours, but in this case, I was so pleasantly surprised and I think I might have added a new favorite with MachineHeart. Instantly I was awestruck at the stage presence of lead singer, Stevie. She commanded the stage, demanding attention and keeping it with her mixture of dreamy tones and powerhouse runs. My favorite song of the set was Speak in Tongues (which i immediately downloaded and have not stopped listening to), a song that somehow manages to be powerful yet wispy with a chorus that you'll find yourself singing long after the song is over. Stevie definitely is a fan of the old adage "microphones are for swinging not for singing" and played along with the audience while still managing to absolutely kill me with her vocals. HOW DOES SHE DO IT.
If it wasn't obvious enough, I effing love MachineHeart now and have since instagram stalked all of them (no shame in my game), and subsequently found that they are quite possibly friends with my fave boys, flor, just another bonus for me, as if they needed one.
* side note, I tweeted them and they slid into my DMs which we all know is the way to my heart because I LIVE for social media validation. that's all. *
After getting my complete life with MachineHeart, Lany came out and started their set with Yea, Babe, No Way, one of my favorite songs of theirs. By the end of the song, a birthday cake had somehow made its way on stage, becoming a prop for lead singer Paul Klein to dance with (also, he turned it sideways while dancing and it didn't fall so I believe that he may or may not be some sort of wizard as well as a musical maven), The crowd went wild for the birthday cake, and after the song was over burst into "Happy Birthday", catching Paul somewhat off guard, the appreciation and adoration for his fans very apparent on his face. The kindness from the fans and the complete hysteria created the ultimate party in this TINY venue, everyone was dancing, even to songs that they didn't know from the unreleased album.
The energy in the room was electric, despite the Paper Tiger being one of the worst venues I'd ever been in (sorry, but also, not really), Paul felt it too, even saying that this show would be one that he would remember for the rest of his life, much to the excitement of the crowd.
They continued their set with a perfect mixture of fan favorites and songs from the album, keeping fans excited to sing along to songs like Where the Hell are my Friends, and ILYSB while showcasing the tracks that they were most excited for their dedicated fans to hear.
I always appreciate when artists interact with the crowd throughout the show, but especially for this one, because I knew that for these girls, it would be everything. I found myself smiling from ear to ear whenever he would reach into the crowd, grab peoples roses that they'd brought him, and dance with them because just hours before they'd told me all of their stories and I knew I was witnessing moments that were changing peoples' lives. Not many artists take the time to REALLY thank the fans, in a non-bullshit sort of way (if that makes any sense), but Paul sincerely thanked everyone and acknowledged the few girls that had stayed overnight to be in the front row and those that had stuck by them through their skyrocket into fame.
Lany not only put on an excellent show, but are genuinely kind and gracious artists, something that I take very seriously. I am so excited for where this journey will take them, and cannot wait for their debut album, Lany, coming at the end of June.