TikTok influencer turned pop star Nessa Barrett proved she is indeed an angel on earth at her concert at the San José Civic Center on Monday.
Barrett rose to fame in 2020 when her lip-syncing videos gained traction on the app, but she successfully distanced herself from being a social media sensation to pursue her music career. She has an edgy style and writes gothic songs inspired by her mental health issues and real life problems.
This was one of three final concerts as she concludes her North American tour, Church Club for the Lonely, according to her Twitter.
During another night of mindlessly scrolling on TikTok, I stumbled upon a video of Barrett on tour and was enamored by her vocals, stage presence and especially her interactions with the crowd while she sang. I was instantly sold and decided to buy tickets to the San José concert for myself and my three friends on Sunday night.
I never thought I would support a TikTok influencer’s singing career, but Barrett pours her whole heart into some of the most painfully beautiful lyrics I’ve heard.
Her music speaks to emotionally unstable women in their twenties, hence why I can personally resonate with her songs about mental health and failed relationships.
The San José Civic Center almost seemed too big of a venue for Barrett to take on compared to the smaller, more intimate venues she performed at when she started her tour in October. I was worried about the concert’s atmosphere since the floor wasn’t filled and it’s sad when the crowd doesn’t engage with the artist.
Her diehard fans were adorned head-to-toe in her merch and pink cowboy hats, the energy of the crowd instantly quelled my anxieties as they roared when the lights flickered while Barrett took the stage.
She sounded powerful when she opened with “scare myself” from her 2021 EP “pretty poison.” Later, she apologized to the audience members for being sick, and I couldn’t have even guessed that because Barrett’s voice was beautiful during her performance.
The stage design was simple yet effective. The entire stage was pitch black with only a single white cross placed on top of a platform. Barrett was joined by guitarist and producer Dan Geraghty and drummer Sage Weeber performing on opposing sides of the cross.
I didn’t know some of the songs she performed, but I was perfectly content with swaying my body to all of them because Barrett is so fun to watch on stage. Her movements were minimal for her slower, depressing songs when she just sang against a sparkly silver microphone stand but I still ate it up.
She addressed the crowd again before performing her latest single “club heaven” and said that she hoped the song could be healing for all the audience members.
Fans at the very front of the stage raised roses in the air for Barrett, as the song is a tribute to her best friend Cooper Noriega, who died in 2022.
I am lucky enough to have never experienced losing a friend in that capacity, but I was blown away by Barrett’s talent to capture a tragic loss in a lighthearted way.
Once Barrett sang the first two lines of “lie,” I swear I had an out-of-body experience from start to finish. It was surreal to hear the song I was patiently waiting for since the night began and when she raised her middle fingers up near the end of it, you can bet I did too.
“Die first” was undoubtedly the song of the night, so much so that me and my friends kept repeating the chorus long after the concert ended during the car ride home. During “die first,” we wrapped our arms around each other and sang along with Barett.
It is arguably the biggest hit of her 2022 album “young forever” and she said she feels Cooper is with her every time she listens to it, according to a Seventeen article.
The energy of the crowd shot right back up with “BANG BANG!,” the eighth track on Barrett’s most recent EP “hell is a teenage girl.”
Barrett finished off the night with “BANG BANG!” and let her fun personality shine through as she ran around on stage under the flashing lights. I loved seeing her aim the microphone towards her guitarist and drummer as they each mouthed the song’s outro, “I’ve got intrusive thoughts.”
Her drummer hit a feisty drum solo just before Barrett fell to her knees onstage as she finished the closing number.
I was pleased with Barrett’s overall performance and it reaffirmed to me that buying concert tickets on a whim is always a great idea.
The Church Club for the Lonely Tour isn’t something I expected to go to this year, but perhaps doing more spontaneous things can help me hold onto the spirit of a teenage girl forever.
I hope to see Barrett again in a much bigger venue again someday because I truly think she’s slowly but surely finding her place in the music industry as a serious recording artist, despite her TikTok origins.
She proves with Church Club for the Lonely Tour that she can easily put on a heart-stopping show with simply a huge white cross, her heavenly voice and a dream.
