Concert Review: Amy Meyer Surprises Hometown Fans with a Beautifully Emotional Set at House of Blues, Las Vegas, NevadaBy Sienna Blake, Special ContributorLas Vegas, NV – On a warm October evening, the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay was packed with eager fans for what turned out to be a triumphant homecoming show for singer-songwriter Amy Meyer. A rare public appearance for the performer that was once considered one of the shining lights in the music industry as frontwoman of pop-rock group ‘Riot! in the Boulevard’. A personal invite on the morning of the concert to the 2,000+ fans that had Nevada as their state of residence from the artists own mailing list was all it took to pack out the small venue for the evening. Known for her emotionally charged lyrics, genre-bending sound and haunting vocal delivery, Meyer has garnered a huge reputation over her career but in recent years following the disbandment of the group that helped propel her into superstardom, she’s stepped away from the spotlight. Releasing a critically acclaimed solo album in 2020 and subsequent world tour in 2021, nothing has been heard publicly from the artist since then.
It was an evening of high emotion as Meyer delivered a stunning set primarily of tracks from her 2020 solo album ‘bandages and gauze’, no sign of ‘Riot! in the Boulevard’ material anywhere to be seen throughout the two hour performance as rumours continue to fuel around the singers own desire to not revisit that era of her career. An encore that featured four cover songs and surprisingly three brand new previously unheard songs before Meyer ended things beautifully with an incredibly emotive performance of the title track from her aforementioned solo record, “bandages and gauze”.
All done as she didn’t look like she had missed a step in her time away, supported by her razor-sharp live band, Lydia Santangelo on bass, Charlie Hawks on drums and the multi-instrumental powerhouse Sara Brie-Loren on lead, rhythm guitar and keys creating something completely unexpected, intimate and memorable for the lucky fans in attendance. Those that missed out can hold out hope that this is just the first hint of a potential return for the former pop-punk queen on a night that was equal parts confessional, cathartic and celebratory.
Opening with the moody, synth-laced “mirror”, Meyer immediately set the tone for the night ahead, introspective, vulnerable, yet commanding. She drifted through deep cut fan-favourites like “nostalgia trip” and “unfinished business” with ease, her voice weaving stories of regret and reckoning with aching sincerity, her stage command as present as ever as she held her audience captive through slow emotional tracks and lifted them to laugher with a couple of comments and stories in-between songs.
“playing with fire” was an early highlight, igniting the crowd with it’s slow-burn build and explosive chorus. Santangelo’s bassline pulsed like a heartbeat while Brie-Loren’s guitar work shimmered beneath Meyer’s powerful vocals. The transition into “isolation” and “my own sanity” gave the mid-way point of the main set a heavy weight to carry, two emotionally raw staples from her 2020 album which brough the energy inward, almost suffocating the captive audience with it’s intense subject matter. Yet, the audience stayed enthralled, some clinging to every lyric, some singing along through their own tears.
Meyer lightened the mood during the final third of the main set with “someday” and “bloom”, offering a hint of hope and growth, before diving back into nostalgia with “yesterdays”, which served as a quiet, devastating close to the main set. The crowd erupted as she whispered the final note, the kind of release of noise that only comes in the aftermath of total emotional captivation.
The encore was more than just a couple of extra songs, one final self-indulgent exercise, it was a carefully curated journey through Meyer’s own influences, a glimpse into her psyche, her inner world and potentially her own future direction. She kicked things off with an ethereal cover of The Cranberries “Linger”, honouring a game-changing female frontwoman with both reverence and appreciation. David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” followed, showcasing Meyer’s command of a stage and putting to bed any concerns that the energy of her former band leader days are in the rearview, a bold, glam-rock injection that brought a flash of theatricality and edge as well as showcasing the chemistry that Meyer has with her own potential touring band as a solo artist.
Her cover of Alphabeat’s “Forever Young” was unexpectedly joyful, with a synth-pop twist that had the whole crowd swaying in unison during it’s chorus, a rare moment of levity. Then came the stunner, stripped-down to the point of almost acapella, Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” had the audience locked in a trance-like state, hauntingly beautiful. Brie-Loren’s sparse guitar and Meyer’s fragile vocals rendered the room completely still.
But it was the hint of her departure from record label ‘Studio60 Records’ and the trio of new originals that will come as the primary takeaway for fans of Amy Meyer and her potential future direction in an industry that she has made clear she doesn’t subscribe to. It feels like her songwriting is as strong and vivid as ever, capture the imagination of the audience with the debut of “pet cemetery”, a dark, cinematic, nostalgia-tinged track with cryptic lyrics that fans could link to Meyer mourning the death of her past life in her band. Next up was “forecast for a ghost town” leaning into more post-rock textures, a little Midwest emo renaissance, with Hawks’ drumming anchoring the track with alongside Santangelo’s bass, creating a swirling wall of sound.
Then came the epic, “life in four quarters and three acts”, which may be her most ambitious song yet, a sweeping, nearly twelve-minute track split into different movements, each more emotionally potent than the last. It’s a song that see’s Amy facing her dying moments and visiting the different periods of her life, a track that demands multiple listens and grows with the listener in real time. On stage? It was breathtaking.
Closing with “bandages and gauze”, Meyer left the crowd with one final reminder of her ability to turn pain into poetry. It was the centrepiece of her 2020 album, critically acclaimed and delivered in this live setting, to a small selection of her fanbase in this intimate 2,000 capacity venue, it was raw, unresolved and a perfect end to an unexpected return to the stage for Amy Meyer. What happens next is the big question on everybody’s lips as she left the venue, a hint of freedom from the rigid nature of a record label, the teasing of new material certainly creates a buzz around her name once more.
In sum, Amy Meyer’s return to Las Vegas felt more like a spiritual reunion than a concert. She bared her soul, elevated her solo catalogue and gave a glimpse into a future that’s as thrilling as it is no doubt vulnerable. Backed by a band that clearly knows how to ride the emotional current of every song, she’s perhaps sounded more confident in her past life as lead singer of ‘Riot! in the Boulevard’ but she has never felt more connected than she did tonight.
It's rare to see an artist step away from the formula that is so tried and tested and still be able to captivate an audience, but right now it feels like Meyer is still at the peak of her powers, still with something to say and seemingly hungry to create and showcase her art. Clearly she’s not just performing, she’s evolving, and taking us on an unfamiliar path with her.
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Setlist;mirror
nostalgia trip
unfinished business
playing with fire
isolation
my own sanity
someday
bloom
yesterdays
Encore;linger
rebel rebel
forever young
fade into you
pet cemetery
forecast for a ghost town
life in four quarters and three acts
bandages and gauze
