Matt Maltese Proves There's Magic to be Made at Recent Aftershow

Aug 14

On August first, the night before Lollapalooza officially kicked off, Matt Maltese played a sold-out After Show at Schubas Tavern. Following the April release of his album, Driving Just To Drive, and a short stint of live shows in Australia and East Asia, Maltese performed one of his first shows in the States with his new material.

The show was an 18+ cry fest with indie band, Rat Tally opening. When Maltese made it on stage, he joked about jet lag and his band made of stepbrothers; “we’re basically HAIM.” And though his humor is lively, If you want a show with the lead running around the stage singing upbeat tunes, Maltese is probably not the artist for you.

He opened the show wearing a shirt that read “Tonya”, sitting at a keyboard (where he stayed), and playing for an eclectic crowd filled with all ages, genders, and sexualities, all swaying to Matese’s sweet promises and soft reassurances.

Maltese pushed through the night, belting, introducing songs about his mom *gasps from the audience*, and playing some of the most inspired synthesized keyboard and bass lines in music right now. Maltese has a crooner-style voice unlike any other performers his age and at times the crowd didn’t even sing along, they just stared in awe.

The room was small, but the feelings were big; the crowd pouring their entire soul into certain moments. During Maltese’s ballad, Curl Up & Die, off his 2020 album, Krystal, a brunette in a white dress and a blonde in a black dress embrace, tears streaming down their face. Moments like these emphasize the prominence of Maltese’s all-together visceral After Show and the special air in Schubas Tavern that Wednesday.