The Midnight came to Baltimore complete with a wave of retro nostalgia for young and old (especially the ’80s babies), sax solos, and synthwave. From fans wearing neon pink leggings and boxy crew sweatshirts to the immense number of inflatable saxophones in the crowd, it was a night that surely no crowd goer would forget.
This was my first time catching them live; my boyfriend is a huge fan and was able to get tickets, so of course I joined him and did not regret it. Pop artist and singer/songwriter Bonnie McKee opened the night. Her and her guitarist immediately sent us back in time with leopard print, wavy hair and a Miami Vice-esque sunset backdrop with steps that McKee came out on. From the first guitar sounds, it felt like we were on an ’80s movie set with her music. McKee walked, skipped, and danced all over the stage as she sang her original music, as well as some well-known songs that she co-wrote, including a bunch of Katy Perry songs. She also came out twice to sing with The Midnight during “Runaways” and “Jason.”
As fans waited for the main event and the set was being rolled out into place, I looked around and saw many of the inflatable saxophones waving in the air as fans waited excitedly for The Midnight to make their appearance. And when they finally did, roars erupted immediately as they opened with “Sanctuary/Love Is An Ocean.” While it wasn’t sold out, it was close to it as I looked around and watched everyone belting along like there wasn’t a care in the world.
The Midnight is an American synthwave band composed of Atlanta-based singer/songwriter Tyler Lyle and Portland-based Danish producer and singer/songwriter Tim McEwan. The band’s motto is “mono no aware,” a Japanese phrase that loosely translates to “a sense of nostalgic wistfulness and the awareness that nothing lasts forever.” They definitely know how to get and keep their crowd’s attention. There was no effort they had to put forth for crowd engagement, as during every song the crowd was heard and every time Lyle held the microphone out to the crowd, they gave it right back. While McEwan no longer tours, he is still an integral part of the band, and his brother actually has taken his place on tour, which was something really cool to learn.
It felt like every member of the band was able to interact with the fans. The drummer, even though he didn’t come out from behind the drums, had a few solos, and even the saxophone player captured the audience each time we saw him grab his alto saxophone. He would come front and center and fascinate us with the beautiful and sexy sounds only a saxophone can make. Each time, the wave of inflatable saxophones emerged almost like a chant, as it was his time to shine. At one point, he disappeared on stage and before we knew it, he was walking around in the crowd with security shining a flashlight. I was too far in the back to see him, but I definitely saw the flashlight and bits of him as he hypnotized the crowd.
Over the span of almost an hour and 45 minutes, The Midnight kept us singing and dancing like we were in an ’80s nightclub with 19 songs, mostly from their newest album “Syndicate” and their album “Endless Summer.” While “Syndicate” feels more like electronic and pop, it still has notes of previous albums and the nostalgic feel. A little more than midway through, they mesmerized the crowd with a mashup of eight songs that felt like a DJ battle but with keyboards. The mashup included “River of Forgetfulness,” “Endless Summer,” “Lonely City,” “Synthetic,””Crockett’s Revenge,” “Kick Drums & Red Wine” and “Crystalline.”
Finally, they ended with an encore of “Summer’s Ending Soon” and “Sunset,” with another appearance by McKee. I don’t think it would’ve mattered which songs they chose because The Midnight has an abundance to choose from, with each song being a vibe. I hadn’t heard of The Midnight before my boyfriend, and I was blown away by how mesmerizing an ’80s-themed band could be, as well as how relevant they are today and how adored they are by so many fans.