Los Angeles, California - October 30, 2026
Fans dressed in costumes gradually made their way through Downtown LA and into The Novo for the grand finale of the North American leg of Emei’s “Night at the Opera” Tour.
Alt-pop artist Emei released her most recent EP and inspiration for her latest tour, Night at the Opera, this past summer. She embarked on the NA leg of the tour on Sep. 30 in San Francisco, and it will resume next March for the Europe/UK leg.
Pop artist Madelline kicked off the show on Friday night. Emerging from backstage wearing a skin-tight cheetah costume and bright red high heels, holding a lace parasol, Madelline showed the audience why she was the perfect opener for Emei. Her sassy and confident energy captivated the audience, while her powerful vocals kept them moving and singing along.
Shortly after Madelline’s opening performance, two ballet dancers wearing full-face masks emerged on stage, introducing the crowd to the “Night at the Opera” tour and “Act I” of the set. Emei joined them on stage and kicked straight into the tour and EP’s namesake “Night at the Opera,” kicking off the gag and the drama for the night. The crowd shouted along, and they jumped and danced so much that the venue’s floor shook beneath their feet.
Emei continued the night with songs across her discography like “Late to the Party” and “Irresponsible.” “Noah” was the fifth song of the night and a clear indication of why it’s essential to experience Emei’s music live. A song about a toxic relationship, something that many people can surely relate to, had the crowd with their arms in the air and shouting the lyrics back to Emei on stage. Emei fed off the energy and elevated her performance accordingly.
Feminine rage was a common theme throughout the night, and Emei gave the audience a healthy outlet for it. Before performing her 2022 single, “Backtrack,” Emei explained how “sometimes, you just need to hit something,” and proceeded to hit a floor tom with a drumstick alongside her drummer, Max. Fans cheered for Max, which was the first (and last time) this happened on tour, marking a nice end to the NA leg and the audience’s and Emei’s appreciation for her band. Not leaving Rick, Emei’s guitarist, out, after his killer guitar solo in “Backtrack,” fans chanted his name, too.
After “Human Being,” a demo from her debut album Scatterbrain, the house lights shut off for about a minute before returning, revealing that Emei had made her way through the crowd and into the GA pit. She sat and asked everyone to join her on the venue’s floor, inviting fans to share this intimate moment with her. She started her floor set with “Dear Emily,” a song that is a frustrated journal entry to herself. Phone flashlights lit up the pit as Emei sat on her knees in the pit, letting everyone in.
Before performing “Ginger Tea” next, Emei spoke about her grandmother, whom she lost before her previous tour in 2025. “When she passed, it was genuinely the hardest year of my life,” Emei explained. “I felt like the ground underneath me disappeared, and I was very, very sad and disillusioned for a very long time. I wanted to take a second to thank you guys [the audience] for getting me through that time, because not only was I able to sing about her every single night on tour, but I also got all of these lovely messages from you guys telling me about your loved ones as well. And I felt a lot less alone in my grief, so I wanted to thank you for that.” Emei performed “Ginger Tea” with such an innocent sincerity, it was hard to not tear up as she sang a song she dedicated to her and her fans’ lost loved ones.
Emei returned to stage for “9 LIVES,” but not before allowing herself to be vulnerable with the audience one more time. Trying to not cry, Emei explained how before each show she prays to her grandmother, and how this tour has been healing because she feels like her grandmother is watching over her. Emei maintained the power and control in her singing voice, really tugging at the heartstrings of the audience.
Still only halfway through the set, Emei is able to capture such a wide range of human emotions in one performance. She’s able to seamlessly switch between joy, rage, grief, and drama, all while commanding the stage and the audience’s attention.
“Bloom” closed out “Act I” of the set, a song that was written as she was impatiently waiting to get over a bad time in her life. Emei invited the audience to finish out the song with her, creating a beautiful harmony, sonically and emotionally, between Emei and her fans.
“Act II” consisted of newly released songs like “Molly” and other fan favorites like “Better People To Leave On Read” and “Love Me Not.” Emei even performed “The Understudy,” an unreleased track that feeds into the pop-rock side of Emei’s music. The energetic breakdowns between each chorus had the audience hooked and dancing to the song.
The night, and the tour, ended with an encore of “What’s the Point!” and a reprise of “Night at the Opera,” ending the night just as she started it.
This show was a masterclass on the human condition and the power of vulnerability. Emei transported the audience through a roller coaster of emotions, but never veering the story or performance off course. All performers can take a page out of Emei’s book and not be afraid to dive into “the gag” and “the drama” of life.
