Concert Review: The Beaches at The Wiltern in Los Angeles!

I removed my usual items at any venue's security check-in–camera, camera fanny pack, phone–when the guard asked if I could take off my carabiner and pant chain. As I unclipped them, "I'm guessing you've asked a lot of people this tonight?", and was met with a, "You know, not as much as you'd think." Nice, security got the joke. With half of The Beaches identifying as LGBTQ+, they’ve naturally built a queer fan base and this was on full display at their Los Angeles show. I entered The Wiltern to a sold-out crowd of lively gays who were ready to blow the venue's roof off.

Canadian based and women helmed, indie pop rock band The Beaches had just dropped their third studio album, No Hard Feelings, at summer's end. This record was behind one of the season’s biggest anthems, 'Last Girls at the Party', which catapulted their already-rising fan base after an older song, 'Blame Brett', had previously gone viral. The Beaches wasted no time, when they launched onto stage by kicking off the night with 'Last Girls at the Party', igniting immediate high energy and a crowd that lost their minds to feral excitement. 

This wave length was maintained for their 90-minute set of chaotic good mayhem, apart from when the band slowed things down to bring a fan onstage, and then to perform a ballad from No Hard Feelings called 'Lesbian of the Year.' Although not without the crowd feeding this song's performance with chants first, "Let's go gay! Let's go gay! Let's go gay!", which rocked The Wiltern's four walls and quite literally shook the balcony. 

It was a night that turned into a dance floor of rowdiness, celebration, hoaxing exes, and enthusiastic sing-alongs. Pure communal release that was more than just a concert and rather, a showcase of how deeply audiences ache for music and musicians that capture anything but monolith representation. For The Beaches, it was a mirror of their ongoing success to come. Whether they're aware of their greater impact or not, it was a palpable witnessing to see this ripple effect in action and that'll surely continue.