Under a mix of purple and blue lighting, Torres (Mackenzie Scott) with her touring band J.R. Bohannon (pedal steel, guitar), Rosie Slater (drums), and Erin Manning (keyboard, synth) had a mesmerizing show in store for the small crowd in Dallas, TX on April 4, 2024.
Georgia native, Torres is known for her raw, reflective lyrics meshed with the singer’s edgy vocals and ambitious production. Her recent album, What an Enormous Room, is marked by self-reflection and the domestic peacefulness of the singer’s life with Jenna Gribbon, her wife, and their stepson. Previous albums, Thirstier (2021) and Silver Tongue (2020), exhibit a similar vulnerability with several unflinching confessionals on her childhood and daily life.
The set opened with “Cowboy Guilt” from her 2015 album Sprinter then transitioned into “Happy man’s shoes,” “Forever home,” and “Jerky into joy” from What an Enormous Room (2024). The singer embraced an expansive, grunge stage presence, often rocking back and forth with her guitar. Briefly pausing between songs, Scott expressed the emotional journey of growing up religious in Georgia and discovering her sexuality. Her set fluctuated from powerful and heavy to vulnerable and lethargic. Title track from Three Futures (2017) was described as an apology to two of her exes and an admission of guilt. Torres closed the show with a fiery performance of “Collect,” the song demanding the audience’s full attention, and a solo encore of “Gracious Day”, a slow lovesong written for her wife.
Opening the show was indie singer-songwriter Liza Anne, who formed an intimate bond with the audience in between songs. They breezed through songs from their 2020 album, Bad Vacation, such as “I Shouldn’t Ghost My Therapist” and “Desire,” which elicited cheers from long-time fans in the crowd. Halfway through their set, Liza Anne spoke about rereading their old journals, coming out at 30, and how terrifying yet rewarding the experience was. Then they expressed how important it is for them to bring a prop on stage before bringing out pompoms for upbeat, exciting track “Cheerleader” from Utopian (2023). Liza Anne’s infectious bright energy vibrated throughout the crowd, properly gearing fans up for Torres.
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