BoyWithUke steals the hearts of Houston, as he brings the Burnout World Tour to the Bayou Music Center with support from Ethan Bortnick.
A talented pianist from Florida, Ethan Bortnick joins BoyWithUke on a world tour as the opening act, charming audiences with his magnetic personality and captivating them with a thrilling performance reminiscent of Elton John. Ethan introduces his new song “violet” light heartedly joking, “I actually just learned how to play guitar what– a week ago?”
While Ethan effortlessly shredded the guitar during his performance of “violet”, he excels on the piano transitioning into an unreleased song “Florida Keys”. A song he describes as a letter of his love-hate relationship with the place he’s from. He concluded his short but memorable set urging fans to meet him at the merch booth “I want to meet all of you –if you think my music stinks, I still would love to meet you.” Ethan went on to have fans swarming him by the merch booth eager to take a picture with him.
Fans filled in closer to the stage with signs and Toby masks, paying homage to the signature look BoyWithUke debuted as. As the lights shut off the screen played a video introducing the Burnout tour and setting the atmosphere. With the video ending BoyWithUke jumps in with his mask on.
As he opens with “Burn” off his newest album Burnout as he takes the mask off. He continues to have a dynamic and electrifying performance full of constant motion and witty jokes. He takes a small break to warn parents of his next song, “Strangers”, he jokes “So you know how after a break up sometimes you go through what some may call a hoe phase –yeah well that is what this song is about.”
As the night unfolded, BoyWithUke moved with finesse, interacting with the crowd and maintaining his relentless energy. A moment where both aspects truly shined was during a segment he calls Fishing for fans, where he holds a fishing rod and throws the reel into the crowd, reeling in the lucky fan to catch it. However the Houston show was especially unique as a young boy standing front row was given the fish. BoyWithUke’s team had the fan brought up on stage. He met the fan with an embrace saying “Good luck.” before walking away. The young fan took everyone by surprise performing the Can you feel it with confidence and energy. The moment was both wholesome and exciting.
Shortly after this high energy moment, BoyWithUke jokes “I know this has been a lot of BoyWithBand – let’s get back to the basics. Setting up for an acoustic set, as his band clears off the stage he asks the audience “Does anyone have a napkin?”
BoyWithUke explains: “This song I wrote on tour last year and I used not this napkin but a napkin just like it. I used it to stick it in between strings just like this, and when you do that it makes a really cool sound – it kind of sounds like analog.” He proceeded to play “Petrichor (interlude)”. This moment gave a rare personal look into his creative process, one that was both innovative and unexpectedly intimate.
From high energy moments to quiet glimpses into his creative mind, BoyWithUke delivered a show that felt both larger than life and deeply personal.
I’m a full-time Photographer and Creative Director based in Houston, with a passion for fashion, music, painting, and scrapbooking—each of which influences my work. My photography and creative direction have allowed me to travel across the States, working on diverse projects and collaborating with talented individuals. My goal is to see the world through photography and connect with other creatives.
