By: Zoey Spuria, Staff Writer
Who: beabadoobee
Venue: TD Garden
When: October 3, 2026
I think everyone can relate to having an album that holds an entire box of memories within it. One that you hear and immediately feel as though you’ve traveled back in time to a specific point in your life. beabadoobee’s 2022 record Beatopia was that for me. Beatopia was about identity, growing up, and the complexities of life. It came out the summer before my senior year of high school, which I spent the entirety of it listening to See You Soon and Pictures of Us over and over again, feeling so uncertain about who I was. I can already tell Pylon is going to be another time capsule for me.
Wisp
Opening acts don’t always get the attention they deserve, but Wisp had the crowd wrapped around her finger. Flashlights were on, hands were waving, feet were off the ground; everyone was having a good time. It was spot-on to have Wisp open for beabadoobee, because they have such a similar sound. I think anyone who likes one would also enjoy the other! I’m such a sucker for an angelically soft voice backed by gritty rock guitar, so I left the show with practically all of her songs on my playlist.
A Glowing Entrance
Beneath illuminated power lines that stretched across the crowd, glowing in moody blue and orange lights, beabadoobee bared her soul on the stage at T.D. Garden on the Powerlines Tour, supporting her new album Pylon.
Bea got her start by independently producing songs on a laptop in her bedroom. Now, she’s headlining major arenas. “I think this is the biggest headline show I’ve ever played,” the singer laughed between songs. She put on a hell of a performance last night, and the crowd responded with the same energy. The show opened with the album’s explosive lead single, Sun Has Set.
When this track dropped back in June, I knew we were about to experience something special with Pylon, and beabadoobee did not disappoint. Most of her longtime listeners know that this rougher rock sound isn’t new for her, despite a lot of her popular songs being more representative of her softer side, but it’s always such a treat to hear her use that gentle, sweet voice to convey anger!
On this album, beabadoobee uses a grunge, Midwest emo-inspired sound to explore feelings of anger, confusion, and loneliness in her mid-twenties. The singer also opened up about the homesickness and isolation she experiences while touring and being away from her home in London, England. Pylons, powerlines, and satellites are all symbols she uses throughout the record to represent connection. Bea feels isolated from her family and friends, only connected to them through powerlines stretching across vast, unfamiliar land. At the same time, she uses this metaphor to express bonds that were once strong and now burnt out, as well as fading ties to her past identity.
These themes were also physically used in the way the stage was set. Light-up power lines stretched out from a tall, metal pylon tower that towered over the band. Prop rocks and plants were placed around the band, backed by visuals of moody sunsets and roads surrounded by endless, Midwestern-resembling fields. The entire production put the audience directly in Bea’s shoes.
Empassioned Performance
Nothing makes me happier than an album that is a carefully crafted and cohesive narrative, instead of just a bunch of songs slapped together. “This album means the entire world to me,” Bea expressed to the audience right before she performed the title track. It’s clear to me that Pylon was created with extreme care, and what makes it even better is the way the live performance brought that narrative to life.
Beabadoobee performs with so much intention poured into her every move. Every note, every expression, every gesture; it all makes the performance so captivating and genuine. She is just such a conduit for emotions. Her voice is so vulnerable, sometimes even haunting, making it so easily able to emit strong emotions and demand that you feel exactly what she is feeling. Her face has that same gift, too. When she’s smiling so hard during Talk that she’s near the point of laughter, you can’t resist grinning with her. When she’s breathing heavily, closing her eyes, and looking as though she’s holding back tears during In Motion as the pylon sparks and malfunctions with her, your chest grows heavy. You navigate every emotion with her, and the entire album comes to life. Her feelings are completely contagious.
I especially enjoyed the song “Powerlines”; it felt like the climax of the show, rightfully so, being that it’s the tour’s namesake. In deep red lighting, Bea climbed up the pylon tower to perform this haunting song about deep longing for a faraway loved one and obsessing over powerlines, their only physical connection, to avoid thinking about the painful distance.
The Curtain Closes
Have you ever been to a concert where it sort of felt like the musician wanted to be anywhere but there? This was the polar opposite of that. Beabadoobee had this contagious smile on her face throughout the show, and I was so charmed by her personality. When she spoke to the audience between songs, she came off as a bit shy, like she couldn’t believe all of these people were here to see her. Towards the end of the show, she shared that she had been overthinking her performance throughout the whole night, but then she smiled and said, “As scary and daunting and confusing this all is in my head, I wouldn’t do anything else.” Her joy and gratitude were so authentic and lovable, and it made my admiration for her even stronger.
The show wrapped up with “Beaches,” a song you would have to try insanely hard to dislike, as the cameras panned over everyone in the audience smiling and hugging their friends. I think it’s safe to say that it was an unforgettable night for everyone. I’m a long-time beabadoobee fan, so getting to see her live was a long time coming, but it was extremely worth the wait. It means everything when a musician you feel passionate about clearly cares just as much about their music as you do. Her entire team did a phenomenal job portraying the concept of this album: the stage, the band, the lighting, visuals, and audio. beabadoobee is truly a one-of-a-kind musician, and I’m already counting down the days until I can attend one of her shows again.
