Maddie Zahm Concert Review: Career Highs and High Energy

Maddie Zahm performed at The Sinclair on March 4, on a tour supporting her debut album “Now That I’ve Been Honest,” full of high-energy pop and moody ballads alike navigating religious trauma, queer heartbreak, and the trials of growing up.

Opener Leanna Firestone performed both new and old songs, such as “You Just Didn’t Like Me That Much” and her new single “COOL!.” Her performance was characterized by endearing emotional vulnerability and impressive vocals, and she performed crowd work with ease.

Zahm came out strong, announced by her band playing in full swing, and immediately kicking off the evening by performing three songs back to back: “Blind Spot,” “Eightball Girl,” and “Lights on Kind of Lover,” all high-energy numbers with massive belts. This polished opening started the show with a bang even before Zahm addressed the stage for the first time. She commanded the stage with flair, making use of the space to engage with the entire audience.

Zahm then brought down the mood, sitting down for the moving and cathartic ballads “imissyou” and “Pick Up The Phone” before moving on to the darkly vulnerable but louder “STEP ON ME” to get the crowd back to dancing and shouting in chorus.

The lighting was consistently effective throughout, supporting and enhancing Zahm’s simple setup despite little to no choreography. Moving through a rainbow of colors without becoming psychedelic, the lighting supported the concert’s high-intensity belting numbers and intimate ballads alike.

Zahm followed with the opening track of her album, “Where Do All the Good Kids Go?,” which she referenced in an Instagram post ahead of her 26th birthday. The song is about the struggle of being an adult after being made to grow up too fast. Zahm ad-libbed that she was actually 22, not 23 as the lyrics say, the first time she got drunk, but “three” rhymed. She made behind-the-scenes disclosures about the stories behind songs in between numbers, ornamenting lines with fun facts and reactions while performing them — like letting the audience in on a secret — and showing a complete command and confidence over her music and her performance. She combined this ease with spontaneity, later picking up a guitar to do a spontaneous acoustic rendition of the vulnerable ballad “Dani” because she felt like it.

In the next section of the show, Zahm seamlessly blended phases of her musical career, showing off her growth, relatability, and sheer artistry. After moving straight into an unreleased song, “Special,” she returned to the closing track of “Now That I’ve Been Honest,” the hauntingly introspective “Growing In.” She then performed “Pocket Bible,” the opening track on her first EP, of which she credited the inclusion to her fans who demanded it be put on the setlist.

Throughout the show, the band was consistently rhythmically tight and melodic. Memorably, the keyboardist and guitarist swapped instruments during “Lady Killer,” after Zahm shared that she wrote the pop number because her label thought her album was too sad. Spanning the history and future of her career, she played a new song, “Sheets,” from her upcoming sophomore album and finished the main set with her breakout single, “Fat Funny Friend,” a song Zahm credits with launching her career.

For the encore, she performed a new song released on March 8, “Little Me,” singing to her childhood selves. She ended with the fan favorite title track of her EP, “You Might Not Like Her,” climbing off the stage to walk through the crowd and end on a high.

Zahm performed at the Sinclair with great stage presence, a tight set, behind-the-scenes insights into her creative process, and an overall memorable show.

—Staff writer Millie Mae Healy can be reached at milliemae.healy@thecrimson.com.