Concert Reviews

The Massachusetts native performed an inviting and zen set Monday night.

Clairo, with Alice Phoebe Lou, at Roadunner, Oct. 28, 2024

It almost seems like performing in Boston is “Second Nature” for Massachusetts native and indie pop singer Clairo.

“You must know how special this is for me. I’m from here,” the singer said at the top of her show at Roadrunner Monday night, to loud cheers. 

Clairo, whose real name is Claire Cottrill, kicked off three sold-out nights in Boston on Monday with a mellow-yet-rousing set that kept the crowd swaying, jumping, and dancing. 

“Boston, this means a lot to me, thanks for coming,” Clairo said. “Three sold-out nights, what the [expletive]!”

The Charm Tour is showcasing her third studio album, “Charm,” released this summer. While the album contained much of the softness and contemplative lyrics expected from the singer, she reached for new heights in “Charm,” experimenting with new sounds and elements in her music. It marked a shift from the synth-filled first album “Immunity,” and instead dug deeper into the folk roots of her sophomore album “Sling.”

Known as “bedroom pop,” Clairo’s soft music has a sense of DIY, inviting the listener into whatever space she is in.

This concert was no different. The stage at Roadrunner seemed as if it had been transformed into a ’70s-inspired recording studio/conversation pit, with the band on a carpeted elevated surface as Clairo sang in the middle of the pit, sometimes twirling around a green velvet chair. A shiny, gold tapestry hung down behind them all, reflecting the giant soft circular light that illuminated the singer for the majority of her set. 

Band members moved around the set, picking up different instruments for whatever the song called for. One band member notably played the saxophone during some songs, which earned wild cheers from the crowd.

Much of Clairo’s slow, contemplative music isn’t necessarily suited to a concert. A Clairo listener might prefer to be lying in bed or on a nice fall walk. But nonetheless, Clairo succeed in performing an incredibly special 90-minute set, one which attendees could feel how much fun the singer and her band had on stage.

‘It’s so fun to play for Boston’

The Carlisle-raised singer gave many Boston shout-outs throughout the show, reiterating how much three sold-out nights meant to her.

“It’s so fun to play for Boston,” Clairo said just before she performed her final two songs of the night. “I went to middle school, high school around here. This is really exciting for me.”

Once the singer was a few songs into the show, she stopped momentarily when concertgoers alerted security to someone needing medical attention in the pit. Once the attendee was taken care of, Clairo diffused tension in the room by talking about her visit to the Franklin Park Zoo earlier that day. She told the crowd her favorite animal was a hyrax, and her sister got her some hyrax-themed merch.

During the brief pause while security took care of the attendee, someone shouted “I think we could do it if we tried,” a lyric from “Sofia,” one of Clairo’s most famous songs. 

“And you know what? We probably could,” Clairo responded. 

The singer teased potentially performing the well-loved song, but said, “It won’t be tonight.”

Another moment came late in the show, when the singer performed “Harbor” off of her second album, “Sling.” The audience slowly all turned their phone flashlights on during the emotional song and joined together to illuminate themselves, and the singer on the stage.

Before she launched into the final four songs, she just had one question for the crowd.

“Boston, can I get you guys dancing?”

Clairo closed out the show with some of her most rousing songs back to back: “Amoeba,” “Bags,” and then two songs off of “Charm,” “Sexy to Someone” and the hit “Juna.”

The audience definitely danced, hands in the air and jumping around. 

“Sexy to somebody, it would help me out / oh I need a reason to get out of the house,” Clairo sang near the end of the night. 

It seems Boston gave her a reason. 

Setlist for Clairo at Roadrunner, Oct. 28, 2024

• Nomad
• Second Nature
• Thank You
• Softly
• Flaming Hot Cheetos
• How
• Bambi
• Terrapin
• Add Up My Love
• North
• Echo
• Glory of the Snow
• Slow Dance
• Harbor
• Partridge
• 4EVER
• Amoeba
• Bags
• Sexy to Somebody
• Juna

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Eva Levin is a general assignment co-op for Boston.com. She covers breaking and local news in Boston and beyond.

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