Chelsea Cutler came to The House of Blues in Boston for her “How To Be Human” tour on Feb. 27 and 28, 2020. After first announcing her tour, with such a high demand in tickets, she added a second show, both of which sold out within a few days of being for sale. Originally from Westport, Connecticut, Chelsea went to Amherst College in Massachusetts, before dropping out to pursue music and tour with Quinn XCII in February of 2018, almost two years exactly before her shows in Boston this year. After that tour, Chelsea gained a lot of traction from those who she performed in front of, then launching her own headlining tour the following year. In 2019, she sold out at the Paradise Rock Club in Brookline with a 1,000 person capacity. As she moves up in the music scene, today Chelsea has 11.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify, her single ‘Sad Tonight’ is on the United States Top 40 charts, and almost all of her tour dates have sold out.
My experience at the “How To Be Human” tour was very unique and special to me, as I bought VIP tickets for the first time in my life, and I was finally getting the chance to meet my favorite artist of all time. The VIP entrance was at 6 p.m., with a photo opportunity, and a Q&A session. On top of being let in early, VIP ticket holders also got a commemorative item and early access to merchandise. When we were let in, we were able to take our photo with Chelsea and talk with her a bit, get her signature, and enjoy our time meeting such a special person to so many fans. After everyone got their photo, a second crowd was let in to take part in the Q&A, as some tickets were sold for that feature only. In this intimate gathering, Chelsea sat on the stage and answered questions about her music, her hobbies, and random, weird questions that spewed out from the crowd. Chelsea jokingly said, “All love Boston, but you guys are weird. Is someone going to ask me about my music?” It felt like hanging out with your best friend, and just getting the opportunity to talk about whatever you wanted.
The regular doors opened at 7 p.m., but the show did not start until after 8:30 p.m. Performing first was the pop duo X Lovers. Their energy poured out of their gleaming smiles and in between their bounces as they danced across the stage. London Jackson, the lead singer, and Jacob Ames, the drummer, got the crowd to interact by asking us to hold up flashlights on our phones during slow songs and by telling us certain lyrics to chant along to. The energy of the crowd matched that of the X Lovers and everyone jumped around, singing along with smiles on their face, regardless of if they knew this band before that night or not.
After X Lovers came out Alexander 23, an artist that everyone in the crowd knew from his collab with Chelsea on their song ‘Lucky.’ Alexander 23 has a mix of vibes from Jeremy Zucker and Lauv, and beyond that he is so unique in himself. Stylish, with a cheetah guitar strap and high-top bright red converse, Alexander had a cool guy exterior. Alongside him was his drummer, Tyler Matte, whose smile lit up the room. Alexander performed his own songs, including popular ones like ‘Dirty AF1’s’ and ‘I Hate You So Much’, and then covered ‘Party In The USA’ by Miley Cyrus.
Chelsea came out to her song, ‘Are You Listening’, and the crowd went wild. She jumped between an elevated stage that her drummer, Gavin Chops and her keys player, J.T. Becker played on, to the regular set stage, closer to her fans. Chelsea spent equal time on each part of the stage, dancing between left, right, and center, interacting with fans no matter where they stood. The songs she sang ranged from her 2020 How To Be Human album, all the way back to her 2017 single ‘Your Shirt.’ At one part of the show, she switched out her electric guitar and digital soundboard for a slow, low-key piano to sing ‘I Was In Heaven.’ Chelsea politely asked those in the crowd to keep their chatter down during this intimate moment as these songs mean a lot to some of the fans in the crowd, and it was a very special moment. My favorite songs in general from Chelsea’s newest album are ‘NJ’ and ‘Crazier Things’, both of which she performed with an emotion struck face. Everyone in the crowd screamed the words of a broken heart back at her, acknowledging and relating to her feelings of being alone.
She wore her typical attire: an oversized rock t-shirt (The Rolling Stones) over her baggy, ripped jeans. Lots of people in the crowd were inspired by her style and took to wearing the same thing. The connection that is felt through Chelsea’s music to her fans is obvious: she represents the broken-hearted, the hurt, the ones in love. As her fan base grows, we are watching Chelsea grow as well. She just turned 23 this month and has her first song on the top charts. Although this album commemorated a broken heart, you don’t have to be broken-hearted as you listen to it to relate. We have all been there, and her words are so honest and real that it’s hard to not think of someone as you listen.