Sleepover dance party met disco ball throwdown on Monday night as Maude Latour kicked off the second night of her “Twin Flame” tour at the Basement East. After performing at Atlanta’s Music Midtown festival on Saturday evening, Latour returned to Nashville for the second time in six months to perform songs from her latest EP, “Twin Flame,” released on June 9.
As Latour opened with her self-proclaimed summertime anthem, “I am not the sun,” she was met with some familiar faces in the crowd. Vanderbilt’s most devoted Latour fans made an impression on the artist this past April during the 2023 Rites of Spring weekend, when Latour joined Saturday’s lineup ahead of Sean Kingston and A$AP Ferg.
Senior Nadia McGlynn had been in the front row at Latour’s Rites performance alongside her friends Claire Im and Cameron Peloso, also seniors. The group also joined the crowd at the “Twin Flame” tour.
“We got her setlist after Rites, and so for this show, we decided to make her a sign saying ‘We love you Maude’ with our names on it,” McGlynn said.
Latour recognized the group from her show at Vanderbilt and made a point to wave at them and do the anchor down hand gesture while singing the lyrics “Put the anchor down, I can show you how it’s done” in her song “001.”
Prior to her show on Vanderbilt’s campus last spring, Latour — a 2022 college graduate of Columbia University — shared wisdom with The Hustler about following passions and finding inspiration from friendships while navigating life as a student.
Latour’s value for her friendships carries over into her music and performances. During her show at Basement East, she brought the crowd’s energy to a maximum as she belted out the lyrics to “Lola,” a love letter to her best friend from Columbia. Relying on the audience to help her by shouting the chorus, “Keep my girls protected. I’m turned on when I’m respected,” Latour dedicated the song to the ongoing movement for transgender rights and pro-choice policies in Tennessee and beyond. While the audience jumped up and down to the rhythm of the lyrics, Latour sang, “For my planet, for my daughters. Make my music, drink my water.” Fans grooved along to the motivational beat, reaching their hands toward the stage to exchange neon-colored friendship bracelets with the singer.
By the middle of the show, Latour admitted she was in a state of humble disbelief at the size and energy of the crowd for the first stand-alone show of her tour, which will stop in 19 cities across the United States and Canada.
“Guys,” Latour said. “It’s like we’re throwing a party but I get to DJ, and everyone wants the same music.”
Latour then asked her fans for permission to try “something new” and perform acoustic versions of two songs off her latest album, “Lovebomb” and “Livin’ it.” To Latour’s surprise, fans were organized for this section of the show. A flurry of phone flashlights overtook the venue, each fan placing a handmade paper flower over their phone’s light so as to filter the white LED bulbs into beacons of pink, blue and yellow.
“I loved the acoustic set, especially when she sang ‘Livin’ it.’ I feel like it came as a surprise song but it was incredible,” Peloso said.
To close out the show, Latour ended with the track that arguably boosted her into the spotlight she is only beginning to enjoy. “One More Weekend,” released during the COVID-19 pandemic, went viral on TikTok in 2021. It now has close to 40 million streams on Spotify and has earned Latour spots on the platform’s Top Hits music charts and playlists alike.
Senior Kathryn Tereshko was also in attendance at Latour’s performance. A longtime fan of the artist, Tereshko was excited to see her back in Nashville.
“I’ve listened to Maude’s music since forever ago and so it’s been so wonderful to see her grow and develop,” Tereshko said.
After Latour had blown goodbye kisses to her waving fans, Tereshko joined Peloso to linger by the stage as the lights came on at the venue. The seasoned fans knew that a limited supply of setlists from the evening would soon be set out by one of Latour’s stage crew members. As she waited for a setlist, Peloso reflected on the performance.
“Everyone was looking to dance and be in love tonight,” Peloso said. “It was gorgeous.”
With their coveted setlists in hand, the group posed for one final photo in front of Latour’s drum set. Pulling the paper flowers from the show out of their pockets, the group exchanged remarks about how they would add the night’s keepsakes to their growing collection of memories from Latour’s shows.
