Oliver Tree Brings the ‘Alone in a Crowd’ Tour to Houston’s 713 Music Hall

Oliver Tree returned to 713 Music Hall in Houston to promote his third album Alone in a Crowd with support from FIDLAR and Jasiah.

Oliver Tree Nickell, simply known as Oliver Tree, rose to fame in 2016 when he was featured on Whethan’s track “When I’m Down,” and became a notable persona with the release of his debut EP Alien Boy in 2018. The EP was accompanied by an intricate two-part music video for tracks “Alien Boy” and “All That,” which showcases Tree’s creative artistry. In 2019, he released his second EP titled Do You Feel Me?, which further developed his whacky character – an ex-professional scooter rider who turned to music after a heavy scooter accident. His persona, music style and creative direction surely defied music standards, especially when it comes to the context of his music. This is depicted in his debut album Ugly is Beautiful, which was released in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tree’s character continued to garner more attention and his creativity began to vary, as he released his own comic book and even started going on side quests – from setting the world record on riding the world’s largest scooter, constantly arguing with Ethan Klein from the H3H3 podcast to backflipping on a motorcycle with Robbie Maddison. His sophomore album Cowboy Tears (2022) had a much different flavor as the comedic singer steered toward country, and reverts back to his uptempo beat in his third album Alone in a Crowd (2023). Oliver Tree has since then continued to evolve as an artist, director, producer and many other things, and it all reflects in his live shows. Tree has performed multiple shows around the world, so it was an exciting surprise to fans he would embark on yet another world tour when he announced the new album.

Starting off the night was Jasiah, a rapper and songwriter hailing from the streets of Ohio. His DJ / little cousin named DJ Dijon warmed up the crowd with Panic! at the Disco’s “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” and The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” Jasiah ran to the stage and kept the energy up with his enticing rap tracks like “Break Shift” and “Shenanigans.” At one point, he jumped into the crowd and joined the mosh pit happening in the middle of the crowd, further stating that Houston had the best energy so far in their Texas trek.

Following Jasiah was heavy alternative band FIDLAR, whose name serves as a moniker for a skate mantra that states “F*** It Dawg, Life’s a Risk.” The band heavily differed from Jasiah, but was a great addition to the tour lineup nonetheless. They performed their hits like “Sand on the Beach” and “Centipede,” all of which the crowd went crazy for. Mosh pits continued to form in the middle of the crowd, in which the band took notice. The highlight of FIDLAR’s set was the performance of their track “Nudge,” where lead singer Zac Carper stated: “Houston, we only do this at our shows so let’s see if this translates. We want to see an all-girl mosh pit. Girls, if you see a man in the pit, f*** them up!”

15 minutes prior to Oliver Tree’s anticipated start time, up-and-coming DJ duo that goes by the name Super Computer took the stage. The duo goes by the names X85000 and Y14000, who recently signed on to Alien Boy Records, owned by Oliver Tree. Their sounds played around different windows computer sounds and turned those noises into electronic hits, making the venue feel like a rave.

Oliver Tree took the stage shortly after as his crew carried him on a couch, where he faced the screen and made Houston watch his own director’s cut of the entire show, along with different previews and fictional commercials. After the notable news clip that starts off the music video of his latest viral hit and first song of the setlist “Miss You,” Oliver Tree turned around wearing his Alone in a Crowd fit – a baggy two-piece red and blue set, oval sunglasses and short black bob. The clips signified that this was Act I, the era of fashion designer Cornelius Cummings. He continued to play fan-favorite tracks from Alone in a Crowd, such as “Bounce” and “Fairweather Friends.” Tree made the crowd sway back-and-forth, and immediately stated that Houston had way more energy than their previous show in Austin. Tree ended act one with “Essence,” as the crowd bounced around during the whole song.

Act Two immediately started with a clip of Tree’s cowboy alter-ego Shawney Bravo from his sophomore album Cowboys Tears, stating his background and introduction to music. Tree came out to perform “Cowboys Don’t Cry” on a plastic cow that was seen during the ‘Cowboy Tears’ tour, wearing his iconic long, blonde mullet and cowboy-esque jean attire. The downside is that this act only last three songs, but continued to preserve through an eccentric performance during “Swing & a Miss” and “Freaks and Geeks.”

Another clip began to play promoting the fictional SLIME drink (a play on PRIME sports drink, often promoted by internet personalities Logan Paul and KSI), and Act Three was on its way as Oliver Tree came out in his iconic persona – a brown bowl cut, pink/purple windbreaker, JNCO jeans and adidas slides – the era Houston was waiting for. He performed songs from his debut album Ugly is Beautiful and other viral singles that made him a notable artist, such as “Cash Machine,” “Alien Boy,” “F***,” and “Miracle Man.” The best part of these performances is that each song was accompanied by the music videos for its respective song, serving as reminder to the audience of his true creative liberty. A memorable moment from the act was the “I’m Gone” transition to an “Alien Boy” reprise, where he mixed the songs and turned the infamous “Alien Boy” in to a rock medley. He finished the act by teasing the crowd with a video game, finally performing the song that made him well-known on TikTok called “Life Goes On.” For the encore, he came back wearing the self-acclaimed “controversial” big suit from one of his music videos, and end his set in Houston with the song “Hurt,” followed by a funky Seinfeld theme ending and a comical attempt at a scooter trick. As outlandish as it was, this act was definitely the crowd favorite.

From the get-go, Oliver Tree’s Houston stop was jarring – from the various cinematic ties, commercials of Tree’s fictional items to a well-executed run-through of Tree’s career and appearances. Tree managed to create the perfect setlist that blended together his classic hits and underrated bops, but the Houston crowd sang every lyric word for word. The openers truly added to the experience, as both Jasiah and FIDLAR both provided different genres that equally managed to hype up the crowd in different ways. Tree’s wardrobe changes, fun dances and self-produced pre-filmed clips made it feel like we continued to go back in time and see the peak of each era, making his current tour a must-see show for all.