Slashes of white, streaky paint spelled out Haiden Henderson’s name on the stage background, signifying the start of MICO’s opening act. The remnants of the hurricane still drizzled outside against the windows, but that was quickly forgotten as the lights dimmed with a deep, electric blue, and an ethereal soundtrack began playing, bathing the audience with anticipation. Then, a soft voice echoed throughout the venue.
“Our memories will become photographs, but right now, these moments are not memories. This is happening,” the recorded audio said.
Quickly following this announcement, Henderson dashed onto the stage, looking stylish in a black leather jacket, pale mesh sweater and faded blue jeans. His entrance was propelled by a bang from the drummer, his sole accompaniment.
The pop-rock artist began with one of my favorite songs of his, “Sorry to Your Next Ex!” I loved Henderson’s falsettos and how this piece has the right nostalgic, angsty, yet still upbeat vibes for listening to while staring out the car window. While singing, Henderson danced across the stage, constantly moving and engaging with fans with a vibrancy that was instantly contagious and spread quickly inside the intimately spaced venue.
In between songs, Henderson was funny and flirtatious, prompting many enthusiastic reactions from the crowd. Before performing his next song, “DUMP HIM,” he asked everyone to think about dumping their boyfriends.
Similar to this advice, Henderson continued a playful energy throughout his entire set, cracking jokes with the audience throughout set breaks.
“How many of you have never heard of me and still think I’m Pete Davidson?” Henderson poked fun at himself at one point between songs.
Henderson’s outgoing and humorous behavior contrasted nicely with the edgier, cool vibe of his set. At one point, he performed a cover of The Jonas Brothers’ “Burnin’ Up.” He also exalted his childhood admiration of Justin Bieber, whom Henderson paid homage to through the style of his song “K.O.”
“I wanna take us all back in time right now. I grew up during an era of pop boy swag that is no longer around anymore,” Henderson said.
Henderson also never failed to thank his friend and headline artist, MICO. This high-spirited pair had met through their TikTok platforms, which fits the exact kind of Gen-Z excellence I thought these two artists portrayed — fun and unserious, fast-paced and attention-grabbing.
To continue the set, Henderson played MICO’s favorite of his, “broken in.”
“Nothing’s broken, just broken in,” Henderson sang.
I found the lyrics to be very poignant. This song was more contemplative and sentimental, and so was the next piece. He dedicated “good side“ to a member of the crowd named Olivia, who he serenaded and mentioned through the song in what must have been a very special experience for her. Henderson played acoustic, showing off his skill as a guitarist alongside beautiful vocal harmonies with the backtrack.
After that performance, MICO jumped out with a NERF gun pointed at Henderson, dramatically accusing Henderson of cheating on him with Olivia. Henderson cowered behind his guitar as MICO shot at him with foam bullets in retribution. The audience laughed, enjoying the skit of this couple-in-strife before the two artists hugged. Besides being incredibly entertaining, I loved their camaraderie, and how comfortable and close they were with one another which made their collaboration during this tour all the more meaningful.
Henderson played “bleachers” and “Pretty Little Addict,” where at one point, he came down from the stage and sang amongst the crowd, where he could get more personal with many fans. To set the scene for his next song, he told us to imagine we were in a NYC club, then proceeded into his newest release, “sweat,” which is sensual and suggestive. His final song was “hell of a good time,” which ripped out a distinctive rock vibe with a catchy bass line.
As the last concert in the American leg of MICO’s tour, this opening performance marked the beginning of an end, and judging by the number of audience members who cheered and sang along, it was immensely fun and memorable. Like the title of his final song, this show was a “hell of a good time.”
