MARIS Makes the Stage a MOSH★PIT on Tour This Fall and She is the Queer Pop Icon We All Need Right Now
Written and Photo by Maggz | On her “sold-out streak” MARIS performed to a packed crowd in Washington D.C.
If there’s one word to describe MARIS’ show on October 20 at The Atlantis in Washington D.C. it would be community. From the moment fans entered the venue, they were greeting each other, complimenting each others’ DIY outfits and makeup, hyping up the merch designs, and taking selfies on vintage digicams. In lieu of a traditional opener, fans were invited to sign up for karaoke and welcomed to the barricade to perform their song when their name was called, with an open laptop displaying lyrics. The night kicked off with The Cranberries classic “Zombie” and after that it was hit after hit with songs from Reneé Rapp, Chappell Roan, and Zara Larsson. MARIS even made a surprise appearance on stage during a rousing rendition of “Super Bass.” Fans were supportive of each performance, filming each other and joining in on lyrics they knew.
When MARIS took the stage, the noise inside the venue definitely broke the sound barrier. She kicked off the night with “MOSH★PIT” and flew back and forth across the stage, grabbing a checkered flag from someone at the barricade and using it during the song. “Body Is On Fire” and “The Fight” kept the energy high, fans singing along to the lyrics and dancing to the booming bass.
So many of her fans clearly identify with the experience of growing up and not being able to fully be their authentic self in a more conservative part of the country. “It’s a weird time to be an American - weird stuff is going on every single day. Cis men? If you see something creepy or weird going on, you need to say something, you need to do something,” MARIS called out from the stage before launching into the next song.
MARIS’s set is full of personal anecdotes, inside jokes with her fans, and fun interactions with her on-stage band. When she paused to drink water in between songs, fans chanted “Water! Water!” which made her laugh and say that now she really didn’t want to drink any (despite the many requests from her team.) A fan handed her a dollar bill at one point and she chewed it up without hesitation and handed the damp cash back to the fan, who was happy to receive it “baby birded” back to them. She led the crowd through a community-building exercise where she had everyone turn to someone they didn’t know, look them in the eyes, and say “I love you just the way you fucking are bitch.”
In the second half of the show she made a tunnel for her and her crew to run through, throughout the crowd, and later even asked for two mosh pits to be opened up in the small floor space. She gifted two slap bracelets to the fans who kept the mosh pits safe and hyped up, knighting them in a campy ceremony. MARIS is the epitome of queer joy, bringing light and love everywhere she turns, her care for her community so clear in every single thing she does.
MARIS partnered with LIFEBEAT on her tour, a program of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, with $1 from every ticket sold benefiting the program. LIFEBEAT will be offering resources on sexual health, harm reduction, and more at select stops. At the D.C. show, MARIS had cards for the organization at her merch booth and took a moment during the show to advocate for access to sexual health resources and encouraged everyone in the crowd to always practice safe sex, “It affects everyone!”
One of the highlights of the show has to be her slowed down, ballad rendition of The Killers “Mr. Brightside” and the high note she sustained during the “Jealousy, turning saints into the sea” lyric. Her pure, raw vocal talent is unmatched, proving that all the humor and bits throughout the show are merely added sparkle to the base of true musical artistry that she has honed over the years.
The crowd joined MARIS in a celebratory performance of “Salt Water Taffy” to say goodbye to the summer months, everyone in the room waving their hands in the air (introduced as a group stretching exercise.) Later that night, she took to Instagram stories to share clips of the show from fans, sent a message to her DC fans while eating the iconic 9:30 Club cupcake, and promised to be back next year to sell out (hopefully) the 9:30 Club itself. “I wish I could rewind the night and do it all over exactly the same thank you DC ur so special,” she shared.
MARIS continues her first official North American headline tour through November 14, when she will play a sold out show at The Echo in Los Angeles. You can buy remaining tickets for other stops on her website and if she is coming to a city near you, it’s a can’t miss night out. As her star power continues to grow, surely larger venues will follow, but we hope MARIS shows will always stay this magical.
MARIS
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