Concert Review: Michael Alden Hadreas of Perfume Genius Seduced His Audience at The Observatory

Growing up, Hadreas was the only out gay person at his school. Brutally bullied, death threats, the administration did nothing. During his last year of High School, he dropped out. It didn't end there, when he was attacked by a group of men. Years later, 2005, Hadreas began to make music for his first album, Learning. In 2008 he created a MySpace (classic) under the guise of Perfume Genius. Now, onto his seventh album, Glory, released earlier this year–vivid, tender, like a poetic ache, he was back on the road. 

This was my first time seeing Perfume Genius live and it's Hadreas' stage presence that really got me. He was fully in his body. Entangled in the microphone wire, still and intimate, flowing limbs all over, back arched, or his ass up in the air. Hadreas radiated a confidence that felt like a reclamation of autonomy. This rippled through the crowd, creating a space which reeked of catharsis, where the audience was given permission to be in their bodies, too. Queer joy was evident. All while Hadreas' shimmery sheer top made magic when struck by stage lights. An experience that was equally elegant as it was sensual, the crowd ate it up. Then throw in a cover of Fade Into You by Mazzy Star, and it was the perfect Sunday evening.