PVRIS and Poppy get loud and empowered at Tower

One of the most important aspects of music as a medium is the message one can distribute to a large group. However, PVRIS frontwoman Lynn Gunn summed up the message of the GODDESS/GODLESS tour best by addressing the crowd directly, saying, “if you’re here tonight, you support women.” 

The Sept. 3 Oklahoma City stop of the GODDESS/GODLESS tour included a female opener, two female headliners, and a lot of songs addressing misogyny. As the bass made the Tower Theatre shake, PVRIS sang about desire and love and the use of legislation to control women. Poppy didn’t shy away from songs regarding misogyny, either, though she focused more on the struggle of being a woman in the music industry. 

Gunn played numerous guitars throughout the PVRIS, switching between acoustic and electric depending on the song. Poppy also played an electric guitar and performed an unreleased song on bass. 

The opening act, a band called Pom Pom Squad, is fronted by Mia Berrin. Berrin played guitar, danced around the stage, and talked to the crowd. She performed a new song she had finished writing only the night before. In a world where one could understand taking heightened safety precautions, Berrin waited at the merchandise table after the show and talked to anyone who wanted to stop for a picture.

Every moment of the concert was high-energy, high-volume excitement, with visuals and smoke machines. Despite this, the most awe-inspiring part of the show had nothing to do with what was happening on the stage, but rather what was happening in the crowd.

Live music has always united people, and this show was no different. When PVRIS said to jump or wave your hands, the crowd complied. They knew every word, every chant, and some even knew the guitar breaks in songs. One song in Poppy’s set, I Disagree, includes an entire bridge in Japanese. The audience sang along in Japanese, though the likelihood of that crowd being fluent in Japanese was extremely low.

Additionally, a standout part of the GODDESS/GODLESS show was the crowd’s behavior toward one another. As with any event, some people got a bit raucous during intense songs, but members of the crowd protected those who weren’t interested in moshing. People talked to one another between acts, laughing and making friends.