Stepmom rocks with power and principle at the Plaza

Callie Turley

Contributing Writer

A few days before the Plaza Festival, dream punk band Stepmom announced they would be headlining the festival. At 9 p.m. Sept. 30, Stepmom – lead singer and guitarist Lindsey Cox, bassist and cellist Cheyenne McCoy, keyboardist Bailey Pelletier, and drummer Sarah Stubblefield — returned to the festival after performing there in 2021 and accidentally knocking out the power with their performance. 

Stepmom opened the show with the invigorating “Vampires (Get Lonely too),”and the crowd filled with people of all ages seemed to enjoy what they were seeing and hearing. They followed with the slower tempo “Keep it to Myself” and “Party People,” then switched to their most recent single “Nikki,” and asked the crowd to jump along to it. This song had the audience banging their heads to the beat and “Nikki” featured an incredible guitar solo by Cox. 

Stepmom performed their new single “Chaos Candy” for the first time, which arrives in stores and streaming platforms Oct. 10. This song featured incredible backup vocals by Pelletier and McCoy. They then moved to the slower “Take Care” that ended on an energetic note. Next was the funky song “Your Elbows” and Stepmom’s most popular song, “Scary Stuff.” “Feels So Good” heavily featured Cheyenne McCoy’s phenomenal performance on the electric cello. 

Following that was probably the most astonishing song of the night, “Damage Control,” which Stepmom performed with high levels of energy. The song had sensational vocals from Cox and a great performance from each member, with every one of them seeming to enjoy the moment. Cox then discussed the importance of mental health and paying attention to your feelings and transitioned that point into “See What’s Inside” which was the last song of the night. Stepmom gave an outstanding, energetic performance. 

Stepmom not only brings it with their performance, but they also bring fun props and occasionally backup dancers to their shows. The stage featured weird Barbiecore items such as disheveled doll heads and a pink foam TV that displayed jazzercise and Barbie videos. They also had incredible lighting with a beautiful prismatic backlight that accentuated the performance. 

Stepmom, and especially Cox, always stands up for what they believe in at their shows. In the past, they performed at the Bans of Our Bodies abortion fundraiser and supported trans rights at other shows. At the Plaza Festival, they discussed mental health and Cox referenced U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with “Solidarity is the Strategy” written on her guitar. The band tries to bring their personality to whatever stage they are on.