Concert reviews

The Massachusetts native performed an inviting zen set Monday night.

Clairo, with Alice Phoebe Lou, at Roadunner, October 28, 2024

For Massachusetts-born indie pop singer Clairo, it almost seems as if a performance in Boston is “a given.”

“I need you to know how special this is to me. “I’m from here,” the singer said to loud cheers at the start of her show at Roadrunner on Monday night.

Clairo, whose real name is Claire Cottrill, opened three sold-out nights in Boston on Monday with a gentle but rousing set that had the crowd swaying, jumping and dancing.

“Boston, that means a lot to me, thank you for coming,” Clairo said. “Three sold out nights, what the fuck!”

The Charm Tour presents their third studio album, Charm, which was released this summer. While the album contained much of the gentle and thoughtful lyrics expected from the singer, “Charm” saw her reach new heights and experiment with new sounds and elements in her music. It marked a departure from the synthesizer-filled first album Immunity and instead delved deeper into the folk roots of their second album Sling.

Clairo’s gentle music, known as “bedroom pop”, has a touch of DIY and invites the listener into whatever room they are in.

This concert was no different. The stage at Roadrunner seemed like it had been transformed into a ’70s-style recording studio/conversation pit, with the band on a carpeted raised area while Clairo sang in the middle of the pit, sometimes spinning around a green velvet chair . Behind them all hung a shiny, gold tapestry that reflected the huge, soft, circular light that illuminated the singer for most of her performance.

The band members moved around the set, picking up different instruments depending on what the song called for. One band member in particular played the saxophone on a few songs, which sparked wild cheers from the audience.

Much of Clairo’s slow, contemplative music isn’t necessarily suitable for a concert. A Clairo listener might prefer to lie in bed or take a nice autumn walk. Nevertheless, Clairo managed to perform a very special 90-minute set where the audience could feel how much fun the singer and her band were having on stage.

“It’s so much fun playing for Boston”

The Carlisle-raised singer gave plenty of Boston shouts throughout the show, reiterating how much three sold-out nights meant to her.

“It’s so much fun playing for Boston,” Clairo said just before performing her final two songs of the night. “I attended middle and high school here. This is really exciting for me.”

After playing a few songs, the singer paused briefly as concertgoers alerted security guards that someone in the pit needed medical attention. After attending to the attendee, Clairo eased the tension in the room by talking about her visit to the Franklin Park Zoo earlier in the day. She told the crowd that her favorite animal was a Hyrax, and her sister got her Hyrax-themed merch.

During the brief pause, while security attended to the participant, someone shouted “I think we could do it if we tried,” a lyric from “Sofia,” one of Clairo’s most famous songs.

“And you know what? We probably could,” Clairo replied.

The singer teased that she might perform the popular song, but said, “It won’t be tonight.”

Another moment came late in the show when the singer performed “Harbor” from her second album “Sling.” The audience slowly turned on all their cell phone flashlights during the emotional song and gathered to illuminate themselves and the singer on stage.

Before she began the final four songs, she had just one question for the audience.

“Boston, can I make you dance?”

Clairo closed the show with some of her most infectious songs back to back: “Amoeba,” “Bags,” and then two songs from “Charm,” “Sexy to Someone” and the hit “Juna.”

The audience was definitely dancing, hands in the air and jumping around.

“Sexy for someone, it would help me / oh, I need a reason to leave the house,” Clairo sang toward the end of the evening.

It seems Boston gave her a reason.

Setlist for Clairo at Roadrunner, October 28, 2024

• nomad
• Second nature
• Thanks
• Quiet
• Flaming hot Cheetos
• How
• Bambi
• pond turtle
• Add my love
• north
• echo
• Glory of snow
• Slow dance
• Harbor
• partridge
• 4EVER
• amoeba
• Bags
• Sexy for someone
• Juna

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Eva Levin is a general assignment co-op at Boston.com. She covers breaking and local news in Boston and beyond.

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