BETTY WHO / SHEA COULEÉ 3.15.2023

Mar 24

Photos and Words By JULIA FINOCCHIARO

Betty Who brought the BIG! tour to the House of Blues last Wednesday night, and what a big and fun show it was! The Australian singer-songwriter, who attended Berklee College of Music seemed to feel right at home at the Boston stop of her tour.

Before Betty Who took the stage, the night was opened by Shea Couleé, and let’s just say that every show should have a drag queen as an opening act! Couleé, winner of the fifth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, gave a stunning performance during her opening set, from her seemingly endless energy to the bright and colorful production behind her and her dancers. During sets, Couleé jokingly referenced the last time she performed at the House of Blues for RuPaul’s Drag race, recalling how the fire alarm had gone off and she and the other drag queens had to evacuate outside into the pouring rain - a drag queens nightmare! Couleé didn’t back down at all throughout the entire set, and the crowd seemed to absolutely love every song and tightly choreographed dances. The performance set the tone in the room to pure queer pride and joy, a recurring theme throughout the entire night.

After a short break, the lights went down and a split screen on the stage began showing some videos of Betty Who before going dark completely. Who and her dancers entered the stage amid bright white flashing strobe lights, immediately breaking out into choreography that would continue throughout the entire first part of the set. And maybe it's just the photographer in me, but Who and her dancers’ vibrant outfits against the mostly white backdrop made for a very unique, visually pleasing setup that seemed to just radiate energy through the whole room.

Around the fifth song, Who toned it down for a bit to play acoustic versions of some songs, including a mashup of some of her older songs like “Glory Days” and “Look Back” before transitioning back into the high-energy performance that she started out the night with. With songs like “I CAN BE YOUR MAN” and “ONE OF US,” Who kept the crowd singing and dancing song after song. Later on in the night, Who made her way out into the crowd to perform a beautiful acoustic rendition of “Wanna Be” from her album “The Valley.”

Who wrapped up the night with “BLOW OUT MY CANDLE” from her new album “BIG!” and a cover of “I Love You Always Forever” by Donna Lewis. I highly recommend checking out Betty Who and the BIG! tour for a night of singing, dancing, and positive energy.

SHEA COULEÉ