Rex Orange County’s Five Day Beacon Theatre Run- October 15/16th Review

On Tuesday and Wednesday, October 15th and 16th, three of our WMSC members attended the Rex Orange County FINALLY Tour at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan, New York. Here, two attendees share their experiences, highlights, opinions, and more!

 

October 15th, 2024:

Anyone who knows me knows that Alex (Rex) is my favorite artist. I was fortunate enough to see 3/5 of the Beacon Theatre shows, and every night was equally AMAZING (haha, Rex pun). When I found out that I was going to be one of the WMSC Representatives, I was over the moon. Not only was I going to get another chance to see my favorite artist, but I was also able to represent the radio station that has been such a huge part of my life over the past 4 years. For me, there is no experience like a Rex Orange County concert. Being able to sing my favorite songs with my favorite artist is a feeling like no other, and not only that, but he puts on an incredible show. 

“The Alexander Technique” –his newest album which he released in September, is centered around himself, his life, and also embodies the four seasons. Without spoiling the tour too much, it also follows the four seasons and they progress as the concert goes on. He also does a variety of surprise songs at each show, oftentimes performing an older song from his discography, a song from his new album that isn’t on the setlist, and a cover. Another thing about me is that I am also an avid Billy Joel fan, and he sang “New York State of Mind” which I’ve been wanting to hear live for years, especially after hearing videos of the cover performed at the Radio City Music Hall, which was released in 2020. Also, I couldn’t go without mentioning, his band (Jim Reed, Hugo Piper, Michael Underwood, and Joe Arksey) are incredibly talented. Their sound, combined with Alex’s vocals, are unbelievable, and I’m at a loss for words at how well they all jive with one another. Truthfully, I could talk about Rex Orange County for hours, but I will leave you with these final words: my experience at the FINALLY tour was unmatched, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to see my favorite artist perform again. I cannot wait for his next tour, and would highly recommend a Rex Orange County concert to anybody- even if you are not familiar with his music.

 

Review By: Aly Erario 

October 16th, 2024

Finally, Rex Orange County is back on tour! My friends and I got to attend Rex Orange County’s tour: “FINALLY A Theatre Tour” on October 16th. This was his 5th and final night at the Beacon Theatre. Since the show was at the Beacon Theatre, I have to mention how beautiful the theater was. From the murals on the walls to just the overall old timey feel of it, it was amazing. This concert went beyond my expectations. I have been to a Rex Orange County concert before back in 2022, and there has been a lot of growth in his performance since then. Rex really leaned into the theatrics for his theater tour, making the show feel more like a performance than your standard concert. 

There wasn’t an opener for this show so it opened up with Rex sitting on a hospital bed being “examined” by a doctor on stage. He opened up with songs from his 2024 album The Alexander Technique, such as “Alexander”, “Therapy”, “Guitar”, and etc. As the show went on he played multiple songs from his most recent album, and plenty of his popular songs including “Sunflower”, “Best Friend”, “AMAZING”, and much more. Throughout the show there were lots of audience interactions which you don’t see too frequently at shows anymore. A moment from the show that really stuck with me was during the song “Best Friend” Rex asked the audience to put all phones down for the remainder of the song to have a moment between him and the audience. It was really a nice moment and I love seeing artists connect with their audience like that during shows. He also dedicated one of the songs to a member in the audience which I can only imagine was a very special moment for them. Overall this was a great show and Rex Orange County always puts on a great show with fabulous music, set designs, and so much more! 

Review By: Olivia Seitter

• Beacon Theater 10/15 & 10/16 Set List (via SetList.FM):

• Alexander
• Therapy
• Guitar Song
• 2008
• THE SHADE
• Pure
• Always
• Jealousy
• Happiness
• It’s Not the Same Anymore
• New York State of Mind
• Sunflower
• Best Friend
• Television/So Far So Good
• The Table
• Much Too Much
• Look Me in the Eyes
• New Years
• Finally
• AMAZING
• Loving is Easy
• Pluto Projector