Elvis for the Night: Bazzi’s Halloween Charisma at House of Blues Boston

Bazzi’s career has come a long way since his musical beginnings on the social media platform Vine in 2015, and his Halloweekend performance at House of Blues Boston felt like a celebration of this journey.

Although Bazzi’s Oct. 30 performance was a part of his “The Infinite Dream Tour” in support of his most recent album, the crowd was equally or even more excited to hear him perform the songs that gave him his start. Bazzi obliged.

Shortly after performing his 2018 hit song “Why?” which the young Boston crowd absorbed with cinema-like animation, Bazzi sang an improvised but confident solo to a years-old song that a fan cordially requested a performance of with a neon-pink sign. Although the lesser-known single was difficult for the mostly unknowing audience to participate in, many reacted with high-toned cheers and wide smiles to the Michigan-born singer’s confidence.

By Alexander J. Gerstenhaber

“Who the fuck dressed up tonight?” he said to the crowd, which celebrated the holiday dressed as a variety of fictional characters with varying levels of commitment. Bazzi, himself, was dressed to look like the legendary Elvis Presley in his 1957 film “Jailhouse Rock,” which he pulled off seamlessly, sporting the singer's iconic look: black denim pants and jacket over a black and white striped shirt. He always thought he looked like Elvis, he recalled. This Halloween costume made him realize he was probably mistaken.

By Alexander J. Gerstenhaber

Even before Bazzi took the stage, his opener, alternative pop-rock singer Seb Torgus began the Halloween festivities by performing his single “Dance with the Dead.” Although his music was largely unknown to the eager crowd, Torgus went about introducing the titles of his songs and hook lyrics before most performances in an attempt to involve the crowd. As a measure of his success, a fan threw him a Hawaiian lei, which he seamlessly integrated into his minimalist outfit.

Still, as he sported a zebra-print robe and leather jeans, Torgus casually walked up and down the stage with the nonchalance of a veteran performer.

As Bazzi took over, however, a large gray tarp fell to reveal the night’s subtle but natural floral theme.

By Alexander J. Gerstenhaber

“How cool is it that we are all here to enjoy music together and have fun,” Bazzi said after a few songs as he inaugurated the positive, light tone that he would maintain throughout the evening.

So light, in fact, was the atmosphere that roughly midway through his performance, Bazzi felt compelled to lie down on stage, close his eyes, and pretend to nap for a dozen seconds while the crowd cheered for him to return to his performance. Amidst the rapidly changing colored lights, which persisted throughout the concert and served to radiate energy and excitement through the three-story venue, it was impressive that Bazzi was able to maintain his stunt for so long.

Of all of his performances throughout the night, however, Bazzi’s most important was a recollection of a special moment that he had in Boston, which he shared with the crowd. The last time he was in Boston, he remembered, he walked down a road littered with statues of famous military personnel, but one statue, that of a sailor, resonated with him so deeply that it brought him to tears, he recalled. Beneath it was a quote that Bazzi delivered on stage.

“Dream dreams… then write them, but first live them,” he said.

His reason for bringing up the quote was its parallel in the modern, highly digitized world. He explained that although it can be initially rewarding to share our lives on the internet, we must live them first in the absence of social incentives, presently and in the moment, to lead happy lives.

By Alexander J. Gerstenhaber

On a night when Bazzi celebrated the release of his newest album with a fully packed crowd, the fantasy of many aspiring artists who were likely in the crowd, his message about enjoying the journey and all of life’s small moments was ultimately what humanized him most. Thus, by the end of the night, his show felt less like a one-man performance and more like a communal celebration of music, love, and life’s subtle joys.