The first city of his “The Wholesome Rockstar” being in Dallas, Malcolm Todd arguably set the rest of the tour with high standards. I arrived at the House of Blues, startled by the lengthy line of well dressed fans. As I walked by to the back of the line, I saw a coordinated mixture of jorts and tank tops to shirts from his previous tour and of course platform shoes. Entering the venue, I was in a whirlwind trying to find the stage and taken back from how many people were trying to shove each other around to get to the front of the stage.
The venue quickly became a sweaty, humid atmosphere that was fitting for the opener being DJ Shopie Gray, as her setlist resembled a boiler room set. I was not familiar with the opener but others behind me were, like the man screaming her name repeatedly as if they were on a first name basis got me excited for the show. It was my first experience with an opener being a DJ, but it truly created the right energy for the entirety of the concert. Her presence was kind and light compared to the lively and enhanced prom playlist, including Brazilian funk, Sexxy Red and Soulija Boy. The crowd reacted accordingly by busting it down, in the limited space of course.
As the opener set came to a close with heart-pumping songs that kept the audience’s adrenaline running till she parted ways with the stage. Soon after a well needed intermission, Malcolm Todd, the man of the hour made his presence in a bright yellow polo in front of hundreds of people ready to start the night. Malcolm Todd’s style and genre is definitely geared towards alternative indie. With an upbeat, friendly sound, almost a “I’m a teenager living the college dream” feeling attached to his music, he’s perfect for the summertime. His setlist consisted of songs off of his newest release, self-titled Malcolm Todd, such as “Harry Styles” and “Make Me a Better Man” along with his singles, “Chest Pain (I Love)” and “Bleed, featuring Omar Apollo” (my favorite song of his for the summer).
Malcolm’s stage presence was a mix of playful and confident with making sure each person in the crowd was aware they were connected. The night started with a few songs off of his new self titled album Malcom Todd (2025) as well as a couple of throwbacks from his last album Sweet Boy (2024). The song “4 ME 4 ME” was by far the loudest in the venue, making it an obvious fan favorite. To my surprise, Malcolm Todd’s fan demographic just so happened to be 5’8 tall people so lucky me; as a 5’5 gal, I was fighting to get a glance at Malcolm. I ultimately gave up, but the music and stage production were enough for me.
There was never a still moment during the night. The occasional heartfelt moments of the performance given by Malcolm and his band, like when they sang “Our House,” were by far the sweetest moments of the night. The four of them gathered around, which vaguely reminded me of cousins creating a dance to persuade their parents to have a sleepover together, by far the sweetest moment of the night. A few other highlights of the night consisted of a fan throwing a Shrek T-shirt onto the stage that Todd proceeded to wear for another song, and the whole audience having blue stars on their phone flashlights, which was a surprise for both the performers and myself. The lively night was wrapped up by the song “Roommates,” his 2023 single. After leaving the concert, I was happy to say that the first stop in Dallas had a good set list and an exuberant crowd and performance. It’s a sign that he will be in good hands for the rest of the tour.
Good job, Malcolm!
