Meg Myers lays her heart on The Rave stage for an acoustic evening
Mystic alternative singer-songwriter Meg Myers brought an acoustic evening set to The Rave in Milwaukee Thursday night.
Photo: Brady Jager
Myers performed completely solo— using a loop pedal for her guitar, ukelele, backing vocals, and keyboard. She entered the space abruptly, with the pre-show playlist booming as she situated her equipment.
“You guys like my (Teenage Mutant) Ninja Turtle socks?” she asked the audience, beaming with delight at her outfit choice. She wore a relaxed, shawl-like sweater with no shoes. The set felt like a glimpse inside Myers’ home studio.
“Sorry guys, you will see me fidgeting a lot,” she said. “I have to get really cozy.”
As she performed, her presence immediately shifted to an intense, theatrical delivery, matching the subject matter to songs from her most recent record, TZIA, such as “A New Society” and “T33NAGERS.”
Myers followed up with a new, stripped-back rendition of the fan-favorite track “Lemon Eyes” from her 2015 debut album Sorry. She shared that she did not like performing the song on guitar until she found a “more fun way” to play it, giving the audience a view of her artistic process.
She continued with tracks “ME” and “Devotion” on her guitar, decorated with a Mew sticker, the legendary Generation I Pokémon. The vibe went tender with the raw and intense “The Morning After.” Fans teared up and were left speechless after the dynamic performance before Myers strummed wildly.
“AC/DC shredding!” she exclaimed, unable to hold back her laughter while transitioning to the next song, twiddling with her capo. “...I still have to count every time I put the capo on like ten years later.”
Myers has a unique expression of vocal technique. She showcases impressive control while playing with tone and placement to convey a performance filled with emotional leveling.
“I consider myself to be more of a songwriter than a performer,” she said, after leaving audience members in awe with the amount of conviction in her presentation, completely contradicting her past display.
Moving to the piano, Myers performed an unreleased, improvised, untitled track she created with fellow musicians for the Cardboard Sessions. She shared that she enjoyed the experience immensely. The song is eccentric, with a chorus in falsetto and lyrical references to The Flintstones and Mary Poppins.
She continued playing with silly references as she performed “OVARIES SPEAK,” changing the lyric from “butterflies, karmic ties” to “butterflies, garlic fries.” The crowd roared in laughter, and Myers continued the song with a smirk as if nothing happened.
The main set came to a close with standout tracks like a cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” her 2013 track “Monster,” and the Luna Shadows & Carmen Vandenberg collaboration “HTIS.”
“It’s past my bedtime; I’ve been going to bed early these days,” Myers said as she took the stage for the encore. “I have one more song for you and then we can go to sleep,”
With masterful loop pedal skills, Myers built up anticipation for her most popular song to date, “Desire.” Audience screams were picked up in the recording, creating a one-of-a-kind backing track as Myers poured her soul for one last powerhouse track.
An Evening with Meg Myers Acoustic continues for five more cities. Check out the dates here.
Photo: The Rave/Eagles Club