Singer Melanie Martinez Returns to Houston for the TRILOGY Tour

After the massive success seen with the PORTALS tour in 2023, alt-pop singer Melanie Martinez makes her return to Houston for her first arena tour.

Singer Melanie Martinez rose to fame in 2012 after appearing on The Voice Season 3, which allowed her to sign with Atlantic Records. She released her widely-popular debut album Crybaby in 2015, which included singles like “Pity Party,” and “Dollhouse.” Martinez followed with the release of her sophomore album K-12, which was accompanied by a film that Martine z wrote, directed and starred in as the titular “Crybaby.” She toured the album in 2020, until it was subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. In 2023, she returned with the final album from the “Crybaby” trilogy, titled PORTALS, which sparks conversation on rebirth, spirituality and self-realization. Martinez toured the album in 2023 across the world, as she performed the album in its entirety. In November of 2023, the singer announced the TRILOGY tour, where she would showcase music from each of her eras. This tour would also mark the singer’s very first arena tour across the globe.

Fans gathered outside of Houston’s Toyota Center wearing different outfits from each era: some were wearing pastel + toddler-like outfits, while others sported the iconic K-12 uniform, and others ventured in oddities, fairy-like and nature-inspired fits from the PORTALS era. Starting off the night was Beach Bunny, a four-piece band led by singer Lili Trifilio. The band opened with “Cuffing Season” from their debut album Honeymoon, followed by “Sports” from their Painkiller EP and “Oxygen” from their second album Emotional Creature. Trifilio thanked the crowd for attending early to check her band out, and the crowd cheered as they played “Prom Queen” and “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used).” The crowd lit up the arena during the track “Cloud 9,” which is the song that went viral on TikTok, and ended their set with “Painkiller.”

Following Beach Bunny was the second opening band of the night, Men, I Trust. The band is composed Emma Proulx, Jessy Caron and Dragos Chiriac and formed in 2014. They started off with their most popular hit “Show Me How” from the album Oncle Jazz, followed by the fast-paced “Say, Can You Hear.” In 2021, Men, I Trust released their fourth album Untourable Album, as they showcased songs like “Always Lone” and “Serenade of Water” with extended outros. “We’re so happy to see you guys here” exclaimed lead singer Emma Proulx, before ending the band’s set with another viral hit “Billie Toppy.”

Melanie Martinez took the stage soon after, and it was obvious that the performance was more than showcasing her most popular songs, she aimed to tell a narrative through performance. The first act was the origins of CRYBABY, as Martinez and her dancers came out wearing outfits that resembled the eras iconic pastel + toddler aesthetic. Throughout this era, she performs songs from the first album, such as “Crybaby,” “Dollhouse,” “Alphabet Boy” and “Soap.” During a few songs such as “Carousel” and “Pity Party,” Martinez made the performance feel more special using props, such as a large carousel horse as well as candles and heart-shape balloons. This act ended with a shortened version of “Play Date,” which gave the album more recognition in 2020 after going viral on TikTok, and “Mad Hatter.” For anyone who didn’t get to catch Melanie Martinez during the Crybaby Era, the set of songs and stage presence should’ve definitely made up for it.

The singer soon disappeared from the stage, and the second interlude soon began as the scene was set to the front of the K-12 Sleepaway School. Martinez was dressed in the K-12 uniform and stood on the platform as she sang the chorus of opening track of the album “Wheels on the Bus.” She proceeded to sing songs like “Show & Tell” (where she was tied with ropes on the platform to mimic the ‘puppetry’), “Strawberry Shortcake” and “Lunchbox Friends.” A major set highlight included the singer laying on a gurney while her dancers acted as school physicians during “Nurse’s Office” and sang to a camera, resembling the scene in the K-12 film. She ended with “High School Sweethearts,” as her Crybaby character gets shot with a heart arrow and falls to the ground, signifying Crybaby’s death.

The final act began with a interpretive dance routine from two of her dancers, as a mysterious yet serene orchestration played in the background. Her dancers came out with candles as the tombstones that stated “RIP CRYBABY” and “RIP ANGELITA,” right before Martinez comes out in her reborn self with a four-eyed fairy creature appearance. She begins to sing “DEATH” from the third album Portals, followed by “VOID,” “TUNNEL VISION” and “LIGHT SHOWER.” The crowd kept up the volume during this act, showing how well it resonated with fans and how it fits into the entire Crybaby arc. She continued to play other songs from the album such as “BATTLE OF THE LARYNX” and “THE CONTORTIONIST.” As Martinez takes strong importance in her performance and her live art, she doesn’t stop to talk to the audience but does interact with them by smiling at individual fans as well as pointing and singing directly to them. During “NYMPHOLOGY,” Martinez stopped to thank her band and the dancers, stating that none of the show would be possible without their hard work. After a fire-lit performance of “EVIL,” the singer ends her TRILOGY tour with “WOMB,” as she thanks Houston for everything and butterfly shaped confetti (fans might recall the confetti from the PORTALS tour) falls from skies.

Out of all three albums, PORTALS remains her best work to date, musically and creatively. The idea of being reborn was taken to the next level as she continued to blossom in her artistry, and it visibly shows in her live performance. From seeing her perform a sold-out show at 713 Music Hall in Houston almost a year ago, it was no surprise that the singer would move up to arenas shortly after. Melanie Martinez is meant for the stage, and its refreshing to see how much she cares for her artistry, and we expect to see her perform another arena show when she releases new music outside of the Crybaby trilogy.