Native Californian, Oliver Tree, brought Austin, Texas a tremendous night of fun and a production that they would never forget.
Oliver Tree is not only a successful indie-pop artist but also a talented sketch comedian, both of which he uses to make his concerts more exciting. Tree has been making music for the last decade and has dabbled in dubstep and dance-style music. Before releasing the discography fans know and love now, he spent some time writing and performing with other artists. In 2017, he finally released his debut single as Oliver Tree, “Welcome to LA.”
On his Alone in a Crowd Tour, in Austin, Tree had three openers. The first to take the stage was rapper Jasiah. He started his show with an intense energy that didn’t slope at any point. Jasiah made a perfect opener for Oliver’s comical set. Jasiah cracked jokes the entire time and kept the crowd laughing. He made sure to perform his TikTok viral song “Crisis” which the crowd responded to enthusiastically.
The next opener following Jasiah was the punk rock band FIDLAR. The four-member band has been making music together for over a decade. Their intensity brought a different kind of energy than that of Jasiah, but energy nonetheless. A majority of their songs were about drug and alcohol use. However, the themes carried much more weight to the members due to their history of addiction. Despite all the openers being and making such different music, they all complimented each other unexpectedly. For the last set before Tree, the DJ duo Super Computer were walked onto the stage. We say “were walked onto” because due to the giant TV head costumes, the two couldn’t see anything. They only have a few original songs out but they are featured on Oliver Tree’s song “Essence.” To get a better idea of their sound, many music enthusiasts argue their sound is similar to that of Cherub. It genuinely was a unique set and judging from the fan’s reactions it was just as fun. After his three back-to-back openers, Oliver finally was rolled onto the stage on a couch with his back to the audience. Oliver told fans there wouldn’t be a show and urged everyone to exit. After protests from the fans, he finally gave in and begrudgingly decided they would instead watch an episode of his favorite TV show. With a giant remote, he turns on the backdrop and we watch a skit made by him, introducing the show. The skit remained an important part of the entire show. The concert was split into three acts, one for each of his studio albums. During each act, Oliver dressed as the unique persona he created for each.Tree opened his set with the classic “Miss You” as the fictional persona Cornelius Cummings. Cummings is characterized by a jet-black bob and a head-to-toe pink and purple squiggle outfit. After a few more songs as Cornelius Cummings, the show was recessed with a commercial break with advertisements Oliver Tree made himself. One commercial advertised his fictional pickle brand. When Oliver returned his costume change suggested he was now Shawny Bravo. The look consisted of a full denim outfit including fringe and sported a blond bowl-cut mullet. He performed songs from his studio album Cowboy Tears, including “Cowboy’s Don’t Cry” and “Freaks & Geeks.”
As the show began to wrap up, Tree left the stage and returned as his most widely known persona, Turbo. Turbo is dressed in a purple and pink ski jacket and has a brown bowl cut. As Turbo, Oliver Tree played songs from his debut album, Ugly is Beautiful. During the entirety of Act Three, Oliver joked with the crowd that if they didn’t dance or keep their energy up then each song would be the last. So, for the last five songs, the audience would chant “One more song!” Eventually, it really was the last song on the setlist, “Life Goes On.” Oliver and his band took their bow and left the stage, but the fans kept the bit going and chanted “One More Song!” until they rejoined on stage and played the actual final song of the night, “Hurt.”
Oliver Tree’s concert wasn’t just a performance; it was a production that he clearly took a lot of time and effort to plan. It was executed perfectly, consisting of witty humor and insane talent. Seeing Oliver Tree isn’t a suggestion, it’s a necessity to understand the complexity and depth of his aptitude for creating.
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