What’s Dopamine?
If you were alive in 2015, there’s no way you made it through the year without hearing a song from BØRNS’ iconic album, Dopamine. This record was absolutely life changing for anyone who knew what Tumblr was, or spent any of their free time online.
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of this album, BØRNS takes fans on a journey through this album, intertwining stories from the era throughout the performance. This album was the soundtrack to my high school experience and hearing these songs live for the first time was the perfect dose of nostalgia.
Commanding a Stage… With a Twist
Going into this show, I had absolutely no idea what to expect for BØRNS stage presence, but he exceeds every potential expectation in my brain. While singing, he opts for simpler stage routines, often singing still at the mic or playing piano. Though this wouldn’t normally be the choice for artists with strong stage presence, BØRNS pours his heart and soul into each song, radiating out into the audience. This emotion commanding the room immediately and not letting it go until he leaves the stage an hour and a half later.
In between songs, BØRNS finds unconventional ways to entertain the audience. To take a brief pause every few tracks, he finds a fun magic trick to share. He uses this time to interact with the fans via a deck of cards, a balloon animal, or monopoly money. I’ve never seen an artist build a relationship with their fans in this way before; the creativity of the set is a breath of fresh air for the music industry and live performances.
Count ‘Em! 1! 2! 3! 4! 5! For the Industry!
I have to gush about my favorite bit of the night. He recounts the story how Dopamine was made and how BØRNS was inducted into the music industry. In this story, he uses play money to demonstrate to the fans some… gripes… about the industry and his experience as a young star, emphasizing the comedic effect with the tasteful inclusion of bongos.
After each step of the story, he shows the flow of money while making the record and performing it live, highlighting just how much money the industry takes from their performers and just how little was left after all of his hard work to create one of the most iconic albums of the 2010s. While this topic would be perceived as harsh and taboo, BØRNS delivers the story in such a well done parody that the audience takes in the critique smoothly without even realizing, leaving them thinking about the story hours, even days later.
I was genuinely in tears from laughing so hard by the end of this story. If BØRNS ever decides to stop making music, comedian is definitely in the cards as a backup plan.
Electric Love
Of course, everyone in the room was anticipating the most popular song from the album, Electric Love, all night. Despite the expectations around this song, BØRNS exceeds what I thought was possible. When the chorus of the song hit, the wave of nostalgia came over me and I was transported into the main character of a high school rom-com. The lighting for this song was absolutely incredible, flashing multicolor lights, illuminating the whole room. You could see everyone around you dancing, screaming the words. Time almost starts moving in slow motion. It was truly a cinematic experience.
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If you have a chance to see BØRNS live, absolutely do not miss it. I will be chasing the dopamine high that I got from this show for months. You can find BØRNS tour schedule on his website: https://www.borns.com/tour.
View the full gallery from the show:
