G Flip and Miki Ratsula came into The End on Oct. 11 ready to party. I was in the middle of a draining week and ready to hit my bed, but I had started listening to G Flip last weekend and knew it would be a fun night to distract myself. Stepping into The End, the room was buzzing and fans were singing along to iconic 2010s hits and TikTok viral songs before the show started. As it got closer to 8 p.m. CDT, the room was packed and a haze settled over the crowd.
Miki Ratsula is a self-identified trans, non-binary person who previously performed at Nashville Pride this summer. They were excited to be back in Nashville, and it showed as they belted out their best hits and songs from their album that was released on Oct. 6. One of my favorites was “what would the neighbors think?” A few of their songs referenced their family and admiration of their brother. This hit home for me as I was reminded of my older brother in Indiana.
After Ratsula warmed up the audience, The End became impossibly more crowded as the sold-out show saw all of its ticket holders arrive. The anticipation built as the crowd screamed along to the Taylor Swift songs playing in the venue to keep energy high.
After G Flip opened with some of their hard-hitting songs including “About You,” they remarked on the party scene in Nashville. G Flip shared they had visited Broadway the night before and reflected on their experience with the crowd.
“It was like a Saturday. Aren’t you all tired?” G Flip said.
Rest assured, the crowd did not act tired at all, especially as one of my favorite G Flip songs, “GET ME OUTTA HERE,” launched into full force.
G Flip told the crowd how excited they were to have Nashville as the launch of their first U.S. headlining tour. With the bass deep in my bones, G Flip took over on drums for one of the most exciting and entertaining drum solos I’ve ever witnessed. G Flip’s percussion skills were a common thread for the first part of the show before the set settled down with “Australia” — to which G Flip led a venue-wide singalong.
As the set continued, I was most drawn to the section that G Flip dedicated to their American wife. It was full of love ballads as opposed to high-energy party songs that had come before. G Flip is married but maintains a mostly long distance relationship from Australia. Their song, “Real Life,” spoke to the core of those long-distance struggles. There was a practiced sorrow in G Flip’s voice that I heard echoed in the messages from my own partner. I felt the pain of long-distance deep in my soul, but it seemed different in person compared to G Flip’s recording of “Real Life.” It was more hopeful, maybe because actress Chrishell Stause, G Flip’s wife, was in the audience.
Next time G Flip or Miki Ratsula grace Nashville with their presence, do not miss either of them. The set could have lasted forever and I would have been transfixed for every second. G Flip triumphantly left Nashville for the rest of their tour across North America, filled with sold-out shows everywhere from Omaha, Neb., to San Francisco.
