Beabadoobee Sells Out MSG in Memorable Debut

By Yaw Appiah

Beabadoobee’s newest era is here with Pylon, her latest album, which sees the London artist delve into a grittier, grungier sound, expanding past her pop-heavy roots. Beabadoobee, Beatrice Laus, debuted her new aesthetic, featuring an expansive set design, to a roaring audience at Madison Square Garden on October 5. It’s safe to say that the sold-out crowd felt the authenticity of every moment based on the pop as she took the stage.

Before Laus and her band made their grand entrance, fans caught a glimpse of the stage setup under dimmed lights. The unmistakable prop was the enormous pylon that towered over the stage. It was placed in the corner of the stage, with wires extending from the tower and floating over the pit. Jagged rocks, scraggly bushes, and a street light with an old payphone were placed at the other end of the stage. Between the two landmarks ran a road, wedged between layered rock, stretching from the front of the stage to the screen behind the band. The fog and faded visuals of a never-ending road gave the stage and the entire landscape a post-apocalyptic feel. The extravagant set ties directly into Pylon’s themes, which represent her time on the road touring, a constant in her life for nearly a decade.

The set design wasn’t just there for worldbuilding; structures were incorporated into the actual performance. Laus sings the majority of album cut “Satellite” through a phone attached to the light pole. This ties into the song’s focus on Laus’s past lover, but also her grappling with modernity: “The beatniks had their poetry, but what do we know /Everyday, doom-scrolling like I’ve lost all control.” During “Powerlines,” Laus climbed up near the middle of the pylon to perform the song with her soft falsetto floating above the scratchy guitar chords. Laus rejoined the band for the song’s outro, which featured guitarist Jason Harris ripping a solo laden with feedback.

“Apple Cider” introduced the crowd as participants rather than viewers. From the first few chords, shrieks of recognition erupted from the different parts of the packed audience. The jangly indie rock track was much slower than Laus’s newer material, but it resonated with the audience, thanks to its immense popularity. This became a recurring theme for her most popular songs. “The Perfect Pair” and “Glue Song” turned the crowd into a booming chorus, making the stadium-sized venue feel more intimate. 

After a jam-packed set with songs of Pylon and snapshots of the rest of her discography, the band exited the stage, and Laus returned for an encore alone with an acoustic guitar in hand. Before performing “the way things go,” Laus took the time to soak in the enormity of Madison Square Garden. The entire band took the stage for the final time for an emphatic performance of “Beaches.” Through this performance, Laus proved that her newer sound is more than just a phase; it’s the thread that connects her entire career.

Beabadoobee’s fourth studio album, Pylon, is out now. For tickets to see Beabadoobee, click here.