“Remember when we part, we’ll take with us a memory. Everything we shared together is ours. Did you capture it? Was it real? Or all a dream? I think I liked it though. For one more time tonight, can you tell me, who am I?”
Responding to the disembodied, computer-generated voice echoing through the speakers, the frenzied crowd inside Detroit’s St. Andrew’s Hall roared in unison: “Poppy!”
A Night of Anticipation
The Boston-born genre-blurring artist has been selling out venues across the U.S. this spring on her They’re All Around Us tour, and her stop at the historic downtown Detroit music hall on March 25 was no exception.
Outside, fans lined up along Beaubien Boulevard, buzzing with anticipation. Inside, the dimly lit room was packed wall to wall, the balcony above just as crammed. Among the sea of concertgoers, a young girl, no older than 10, clutched a pair of purple hearing protection earmuffs, trembling with excitement beside her mother. A striking Poppy lookalike sauntered through the doors in black knee-high boots, a puffed-out skirt, and flowing dark hair, as if she belonged on stage herself.
Downstairs in The Shelter, Poppy’s merch stand drew just as much excitement. “I went to a Poppy concert, now I’m gay,” a fan chuckled, reading one of the more tongue-in-cheek items for sale.
Kumo 99 Ignites the Stage
Shrouded in smoky haze and bathed in strobe lights, Kumo 99—comprised of Ami Komai and Nate Donmoyer—set the tone for the night. Their blistering electronic sound, reminiscent of The Prodigy with a ferocious female lead, sent pulsating energy through the crowd. Komai’s hypnotic vocals soared to near-screams, offering a taste of the intensity that Poppy would soon deliver.
“Are you guys ready for Poppy?” Komai asked, earning an explosive response from the audience.
The Keyhole Opens
After Kumo 99’s dynamic set, the symbolism of They’re All Around Us began to take shape.
As music ranging from Korn to Tool to Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” played, an ominous keyhole image appeared on the screen at the back of the stage. A single eye, presumably Poppy’s, peered through it—darting left and right before staring straight ahead, evoking the unsettling gaze of Jack Nicholson in The Shining.
Then, the countdown began.
At 0:00, the lights turned crimson. A wave of horror-film-like music filled the venue, and cryptic symbols flickered on the screen. The computerized voice of Poppy emerged once more:
“Picture this. The cycle. The rhythm of time. Harmony. Everyone’s together… Now, picture this. The end. You’re a stranger to everyone you ever loved. They don’t recognize you anymore… Who are you now? Have you had enough?”
Three masked band members stepped onto the stage. Then, finally, Poppy herself appeared.
A Sonic and Visual Onslaught
From the opening number, “have you had enough?”, Poppy’s signature blend of metal, pop, and electronica took full force. Her vocal range was staggering, shifting from ethereal melodies to primal, throat-shredding screams. The contrast mirrored a dual personality—innocent angel one moment, raging demon the next.
The masked band behind her executed each seismic riff and bone-crushing beat with precision, their sound rattling the venue’s very foundation. The radiator against the back wall trembled with each bass drop, the floor pulsing like a living organism beneath the crowd’s feet.
Poppy’s set was a whirlwind of controlled chaos. Certain tracks carried the raw vulnerability of Nirvana, others the cinematic grandeur of Evanescence, while some erupted into the unrelenting ferocity of a Slipknot show.
Throughout the 17-song set—featuring nine tracks from Negative Space and a cover of Bad Omens’ V.A.N.—she repeatedly disappeared into a white-curtained archway, its shape mirroring the ominous keyhole that loomed over the crowd before the performance.
“Oh my God, that was so good,” a fan gasped after Poppy tore through “push go”.
Commanding the Chaos
Though St. Andrew’s Hall is intimate by major tour standards, Poppy’s presence turned it into an arena-sized experience.
Several fans dared to crowd surf, prompting her to play ringleader: “Alright, Detroit, you better catch these people.”
And when it came to moshing, Poppy wasn’t about to settle for mediocrity.
“Right here in the middle… pick a side. Make it quick,” she ordered. “This is weak. This is very weak. C’mon, Detroit. Let’s go. Back it up. You want to go out like this? Is this how you want to be remembered? Push through.”
The crowd erupted in a frenzy, thrashing with renewed vigor. Poppy nodded approvingly. “There it is.”
The Avatar Speaks
Between songs, Poppy’s computerized avatar took center stage on screen, narrating eerie, existential monologues.
“I’m a little bit afraid,” the digital Poppy confessed, before a distorted male voice questioned her: “Why?”
“There are so many people watching. What if I make a mistake? But why are they all watching me? Hi, audience. Are you listening?” she giggled, unsettlingly.
Later, the avatar prompted the audience to look around. “Who do you see? A friend? A foe? A hero? A god? A perfect image in perfect clarity. Who are you? An individual? A being? A carbon chain? You’re an experiment, having an experience in real time.”
As if adding to the psychological distortion, Poppy occasionally slipped a look-alike doll in a red dress through the curtain’s crack—a haunting, voyeuristic touch.
The Aftermath
Photographer Alana Lopez was there to capture the electrifying performance.
Follow Alana on Instagram, here.
For more on Poppy, check out SWOMP’s coverage of her set at Louder Than Life 2024: Poppy Rocks the Main Stage at Louder Than Life 2024.
Poppy continues her They’re All Around Us tour at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall on March 28, before wrapping up in the U.S. at the end of April. Then, she heads to Europe to tour with Babymetal.
Follow her at impoppy.com.