Words and Photos by Jackie Grimson
Last Sunday, Medium Build kicked off his co-headlining acoustic tour with Petey USA at Richmond Music Hall in Virginia. The pair has united for a ten-show tour across the northeast. Comedian Shane Torres opened up the show and served as the emcee, cracking jokes about Richmond and the current political climate during the set breaks.
The headline artists each played a solo set of three songs, with Petey going first. They then united onstage together to alternate playing backup on each other’s songs. Both singers’ passionate fan bases certainly showed up for this show, enraptured by both of the singers’ every word and oftentimes singing louder than Petey and Medium Build themselves. Between each singer’s performance, Torres took audience questions, such as what their favorite Lady Gaga album is and who are their queer icons (Medium Build’s response to these particular questions were Chromatica and RuPaul, respectively).
Medium Build played favorites like “White Male Privilege” and “John and Lydia,” as well as deeper cuts such as “99 Corolla” and “Oh Sandra.” Gasps filled the space as he played each song, with fans eager to hear new and old renditions of the musician’s songs. He also played a new unreleased song, “Drug Dealer,” which was previously debuted at his recent El Rey show in Los Angeles, as well as another song that had never been sung live before; for this one, he had to take out his phone so he could reference the lyrics. Medium Build’s zealous performance and his playful but intense lyrics; coupled with his charismatic, joke-cracking, personality makes you feel like you’re really witnessing a unique talent.
Loudspeaker Collective 