To commemorate her third album Portals, singer Melanie Martinez stopped by Houston’s 713 Music Hall to perform the album in its entirety.
After success with her debut album Crybaby and sophomore album K-12, Melanie Martinez took the time to revamp her aesthetic and take her project to a whole new level – a level where she redefines herself and bids ado to her previous persona. On February 2023, Martinez posted a quick snippet of a song accompanied with a video that stated “RIP Crybaby,” which led to speculation on a new era. Martinez announced a new single, a new album, along with a new prosthetic appearance – a fairy-like creature with four eyes and a charismatic vibe. She embodies this persona in videos and in live shows, much to fans surprise. Portals follows a more psychedelic sound, as it opens a new ethereal world from the mind of Martinez. Despite the new sound that steers away from her origins, the album immediately became a fan favorite.
Martinez announced a North American tour after the release of Portals, which instantly sold out. The tour came to Houston on June 16th to 713 Music Hall with support from Tanukichan. Despite the hot Houston weather, fans lined up in front of the venue as early as 8am to get a good spot at the show. The doors opened and the venue flooded with fans dressed to match the album’s aesthetics – from fairy wings to pink makeup and unique glitter dresses.
The stage lights went dim, and a spoken word intro started to play. Fans put their phones up, and everyone started cheering. As soon as the beginning of “DEATH” began to play, Martinez came out wearing her iconic pink prosthetic mask and black lace outfit with pink bowties. She played the rest of the album in order, including tracks like “VOID,” “THE CONTORTIONIST,” “NYMPHOLOGY,” “EVIL” and “WOMB.” She also performed “Powder,” “Pluto” and “Milk of the Siren,” which are the tracks from the deluxe version of Portals.
Each song told its own story by using captivating visuals, exquisitely choreographed dances and bursting energy from Martinez. The dancers even brought out props for different songs, such as inflatable mushrooms during “FAERIE SOIRÉE,” a plastic rock during “LIGHT SHOWER” and a huge spider web like during “SPIDER WEB.” Everyone sang along with their hearts, and Martinez responded by speaking to Houston with so much gratitude. Even during the interludes, fans chanted Martinez’s name until she returned on stage, which made the vibe feel so welcoming and compelling.
The Portals tour was a great experience from beginning to end, and although Martinez doesn’t play any of her old songs, it serves as a statement that her Crybaby character is dead and that she is fully reborn. It allows fans to get a newfound appreciation for the singer despite her hidden appearance, and allows her to reciprocate the appreciation to her devoted fans.
Keylee is a full-time music journalist/photographer from Houston, Texas. She has received a B.S in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as an M.A in Mass Communications from the University of Houston. As an avid concert-goer and movie fanatic, she aspires to create her own path as a content creator by bonding with others over the power of local music and media. If she isn’t listening to her favorite band Paramore, you’ll catch her hanging out with her brothers or playing with her husky Luna.
