I walked into the Betty Who show at The National late last month coming off of a four-day bender.
I walked into the Betty Who show at The National late last month coming off of a four-day bender.
The previous weekend days had been spent at Firefly Music Festival in Dover, DE. There, I had consumed entirely too much alcohol, drugs, hardly enough food and even less sleep.
Coincidentally, Betty Who had played a show that Saturday and I’m sure damn glad she did. I was bordering delirious from lack of sleep for her Monday night showing, but was alert, tipsy and ready to dance along to every song during her Saturday afternoon show.
For those unaware (and if you aren’t, look up ‘All Of You’ and ‘Runaways’) Betty Who embodies pop. Not annoying, Taylor Swift-boppy teen pop, but real “make you wanna get up and flick off the world while you dance,” pop.
Put on one of her songs- it’s an instant recipe for feeling cooler.
She has a fun personality and brings it with her to the stage; during Saturdays show the heat had reached about 90, along with 80% humidity. Those of us in the crowd were sweltering with the sun bearing down on us, clearly in misery. She paused after finishing a song, and I believe her line went something like, “Fuck- it’s hot. I’ve always wanted to play a show in my bra.” Then she promptly took her top off and kept on with the gig.
Things like that make Betty Who likeable as fuck. You hear her songs, and those too are likeable as fuck. You combine the two, and you’ve got great energy, and a great show. Which is exactly what she delivered both in Dover, Saturday and in RVA Monday night.
The crowd at The National was a little sparse- nothing compared to Saturday. But it didn’t seem to bother Betty Who – she kept up with upbeat energy, giving RVA the same style show she’d given thousands in DE. In my opinion, the crowd she got on a Monday showed something more real than thousands at a festival- it showed her true fans. These fans were the ones that really appreciated and related to her music; they were psyched to be seeing her and only her.
Somewhere around her 3rd song, a security guard (whom I will openly admit to falling into love with at first mumble of “VIP”) offered my guest and I to go upstairs and watch the show from a balcony reserved for, you guessed it, VIP only.
My reason for delight wasn’t the new coveted area I suddenly found myself in, but because the balcony offered cushioned couches that my worn down body could take refuge on while still being able to watch Betty Who perform with unconstructed views of her and her fans.
She started off her set a little slow, saving her most upbeat songs closer to the end, but that didn’t stop the crowd from loving her. Closing their eyes, they swayed their bodies and heads back and forth to the heartfelt melodies Who belted out. She was doing more than just performing for these people- she was connecting with them. It was awesome to be at a vantage point allowing me to witness the connection happening.
One of my favorite qualities about a Betty Who show is that you can tell she, and everyone else on stage with her, are enjoying themselves. The stage was sparsely decorated, but Betty Who and her band didn’t need a light show or props to bring the audience and her music alive.
You might be many things at a Betty Who show, but bored will never be one of them.
They love being up there, and want you to have just as much fun as they are. She dances with her band, gets the crowd involved, plays games and teaches the audience lyrics to her songs, splits them up and then has different sides compete in “sing-offs.” Fans eat it up, they love it… and even more than that- they love her.
Aside from bringing upbeat, fun energy to the stage, Betty Who also brings something a little more special: sincerity and realness. Towards the end of her set, she got on her knees and sat on stage and sang her heart out to a slow love song she’d written.
The amount of vulnerability on the stage during this song was incredible to watch. She is who she is, and I think that’s really what the audience can relate to. She’s experienced heartbreak, and so have they (we). She doesn’t sugarcoat her songs, she writes about her experiences and then sings them bluntly.
Finding genuine rawness in a pop artist along with the other qualities she brings to the stage is a rare discovery, and Betty Who’s got the whole package.
