Druid City Music Hall kicked off the Kaleidoscope concert series on Wednesday by hosting charlieonnafriday, a 21-year-old from Seattle, Washington, as the first act. As he arrived in Tuscaloosa for the third show of his month-long tour, the pop singer-songwriter sang songs from his debut album, “WILD CHILD,” released on Friday, two days after the concert.
While charlieonnafriday has a substantial following on TikTok and Instagram and 2.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify, he delivered what could have been perceived as a dull, tiresome performance to a seemingly young and sparse audience.
Dressed in an oversized camouflage hoodie and black sweatpants with two thin white stripes streaming down the side, the bright-eyed singer swaggered on stage with only his DJ and an excessive amount of photographers. He opened with his song, “I’m Not Crazy,” which resembles the 2002 pop-rock tune “Unwell,” by Matchbox Twenty.
Charlie commanded the audience to lift their hands in the air, or at least the ones without a death grip on their phones, and shouted, “Let’s go,” as the song’s backing track played the chorus. The bass quaked with such intensity that its vibrations on the wooden floor seemingly boosted the audience to jump along with the song, without them having an actual choice.
Most of his songs abundantly discussed alcohol use, romanticization of party culture, and poor coping mechanisms in front of a crowd of young high school and middle school students who can easily recall their last Capri-Sun.
As the set continued, it became increasingly difficult to distinguish Charlie’s live auto-tuned vocals from those in the supportive backing track. Most of his breath was spent giving testimonies of high school nostalgia in between songs and signifying each chorus by howling, “Let’s go.”
Sitting in a chair with a canopy of foggy purple lighting and his logo on the big screen reading “onnafriday,” he sang, “Undecided,” a more intimate song of his. Though he attempted to appeal to the more emotional crowd members, their scattered conversations overpowered the speakers. What seemed to be a third-grade boy, who was visibly excited earlier, now climbed the railing, bored and with no concern for the older boy on stage.
Charlie’s confidence seemed to travel with the wisps of fog before the set returned to its party anthems. “Next time we come to Tuscaloosa, we’re gonna pack this b— out,” he said.
He hunched his shoulders as if he were still leaning over in his chair, and each “Let’s go” was less convincing and weakened. As he sang “I Miss Seattle,” he anxiously paced from each side of the stage as a quartet of photographers panned around him.
The DJ rang air horn sound effects between tracks three times in succession. His contributions, minimal but crucial, served as the backbone of Charlie’s performance.
As he sang “When I’m Leavin’,” Charlie ordered the DJ to stop the track as they deliberated the remainder of the setlist. Seemingly anxious to step off stage, he performed two more songs. Before the final track, Charlie said, “That was not our smoothest show, but I appreciate y’all rocking with us.”
He closed with his most popular song, “Enough.” The crowd cheered, ecstatic to hear the tune that more than likely sparked their fandom. “My name is charlieonnafriday, and last but not least, Roll Tide,” Charlie exclaimed as he hastily left the spotlight.
Each of his songs is catchy and elicits careless teenage bliss. He sings with the conviction of soundtracking his fans’ most formative years.
Ultimately, however, Charlie’s artistry derives from boyish charm and internet popularity, fabricated to be adored behind a phone screen rather than on a stage. His low-effort yet high-energy set and frustrating resemblance to the Kid LAROI is unsustainable. Nonetheless, fans, disregarding their bedtime, hummed the melody of “Enough” as they departed.
