BRISTON MARONEY’S ULTRAPURE WORLD TOUR IS A DOMINATING FORCE OF LOVE, WONDER AND CHILDHOOD JOY
To say that Briston Maroney started Disaster Magazine would be no exaggeration.
In actuality, Disaster Magazine started as a class project for three girls struggling to find a socially acceptable topic. “Summer Music” seemed fine, but we quickly found we only had a handful of artists in common — and I mean enough to count on one hand.
The thickest common thread was Briston Maroney. We sat in class raving about “Small Talk,” beating out the slapstick drumline of “June” on the classroom tables, saying how Sunflower changed our lives (we had lived very little, but I think this statement still holds up).
Lots has happened since then, including the release of Maroney’s sophomore album, Ultrapure (you can find our thoughts in a previous post). Now the question is, how does the raw, realizational retrospect hold up live?
By Evie Seetoo
Wonderously, backed up the moment the opening song ended by many of the people around us, the live renditions sound almost identical to the streaming versions of his songs. Each different note was made as a choice. If he wanted to, every song could sound the same as their recorded version. That is not Maroney’s goal with live music, however. Evident in the whimsicalness of his dreamscape set and his soft-spoken crowd interaction, his goal is to make it an experience for all, not just a performance for him.
With a team comprised of some of his closest friends, on and off the stage, the Ultrapure World Tour radiates just as much love as its namesake. Maroney plays lead guitar (for most of the show), with Devin Badgett, the man with the most stage presence ever seen in a guitar player, on, you guessed it, second guitar. Zach Lockwood, a crowd favorite at night two of the Webster Hall show, slaps on bass, and last but certainly not least, Nathan Knox ties the team together and shows his versatility through Maroney’s varied discography, on drums.
By Evie Seetoo
This varied discography was thoroughly covered, no spoilers will be made for those refraining from looking at the setlist before their show, but no EP was left untouched. I distinctly remember Evie and I exchanging our highest hopes, on our way to the venue. All the way up until he walked onto stage (ushered in by an incredible serenade of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” from comedian Joey Dardano) we were taunting the idea of any backlogged songs being played.
“If he plays ‘Paradise,’ I think I’ll cry.”
“Anything off of ‘Miracle,’ and I might just throw up.”
“‘Rose’? We’re done.” One thing we could both agree on.
Thankfully for the security team, we did not throw up, but we did cry. At the explosive performances bringing our most formative songs to life, at the rawness in Maroney’s voice carrying us through the ballads of Ultrapure, and for the fact that it was over,
Maroney paused the show less than five songs in, to say that he was doing his best to not let nerves take him over while he played as daunting a place as New York City. This is my review from a show in which he wasn’t feeling his best. We don’t often ask you to spend money on things, especially if we didn’t create them, but as a favor to yourself, get a ticket to the Ultrapure World Tour. He may joke that you’ll walk out a different person, but you will — more caring, more appreciative of your best friends and what you’d do for each other, and with a better understanding of the journey music can bring you on.
If you needed further evidence that this piece is opinion based, our shirts, based on two of Maroney’s songs, might help.