Rex Orange County Makes Fans Feel At Home During His "Pony Tour" (Tour Review)
Editors Note: "Rex Orange County Makes Fans Feel At Home During His Pony Tour" was originally written for UIC Radio's old website on January 28, 2020
By Tara Bolar
21-year-old Indie-pop singer Rex Orange County took fans on a colorful journey through sunflowers and cartoon clouds at the Chicago stop of his Pony Tour.
Rex took over the sold-out Aragon Ballroom on Monday night in promotion of his recent junior album release.
The stage was set up as a lush green field covered in sunflowers with dreamy clouds floating in the back.
Starting off the night, Rex made his way over to the piano to tease the audience with a minute long slowed down version of 10/10, a song about Rex taking control of his emotions in order to live a happier and healthier life.
After a build up of anticipation, Rex and his band switched up the pace and continued on with the more up-beat and authentic version of the song.
“Sometimes you gotta cut a bitch out,” Rex sang as the crowd chanted the lyrics back at him.
The elaborate lighting began to pulse as orange and red strobe lights illuminated the audience.
In between songs, Rex made sure interacting with his fans was a top priority of his.
He stopped to thank the crowd for singing along to the songs, checked in with the fans on the barricade to make sure they were holding up okay, and provided back stories about the songs he was about to sing.
His down-to-earth persona mixed with that charming English accent made it impossible for anybody to not want to be his best friend.
As the crowd jumped around and sang their hearts out, Rex decided to give them a moment to slow down and breathe as he pulled out some more heartfelt pieces.
With a dramatic red curtain fall during Pluto Projector, Rex commanded the stage all on his own with only his voice and a keyboard.
Making the audience teary-eyed, the singer played Every Way, with lyrics such as, “You know I’m troubled, but I know you can understand / no one prepares you for the way in which things change / I cry in front of you, and it’s very necessary, babe.”
Switching over from his piano to his guitar, Rex gave an admirable performance of his song, Corduroy Dreams.
From Rex making the crowd laugh with his line, “don’t call me daddy, ‘cause that’s just fucking weird,” to his impressive whistle solo at the end, Rex appeared to be at his best when stripped down to just him, his guitar, and the support of his fans.
Transitioning into the third act of the night, Rex and his band kept up the theatrics of the Pony Tour by revealing a giant silver cartoon pony on stage accompanied by manic rainbow lighting and confetti while singing a fan-favorite, Never Had The Balls.
The crowd went wild.
Coming close to the end of the show, Rex played his most popular songs back to back, Sunflower, Best Friend, and Loving Is Easy.
If you ask any Rex Orange County fan how they discovered his music, most will mention one of the three. (Best Friend was the one that got me hooked).
The excitement in the room was palpable as Rex sang Sunflower and the sweet sound of saxophones traveled throughout the venue.
During Best Friend, Rex encouraged the audience to put their phones away and soak in the music --- and fans actually followed his request.
Loving Is Easy brought the atmosphere to a groovy place as fans swayed around and danced with one another, phones still put away.
Closing out the Chicago stop on the Pony Tour, Rex performed It’s Not The Same Anymore, a personal and important song about his struggles and journey with mental health. “I’ve spent many months just hating on myself / I wish I didn’t need to get help / I wouldn’t wish this on my enemy or anyone else.”
Though throughout the first half of the song Rex hits on the darker parts of mental health, towards the end we gladly hear what sounds like a path to recovery, “I’ve learned so much from before / I’m doing this for myself / It’s better, it got better.”
The Pony Tour felt like home for fans. The wholesome stage setups. The authenticity from Rex. The warmness of the music. Rex gave the audience a feeling of hopefulness during a time when we need it the most.
Rex Orange County’s Full Setlist:
10/10
Laser Lights
Face to Face
Never Enough
So Far So Good/Television
Stressed Out
Pluto Projector
Every Way
Untitled
No One – (Alicia Keys cover)
Corduroy Dreams
Happiness
Never Had The Balls
4 Seasons
It Gets Better
Sunflower
Best Friend
Loving Is Easy
It’s Not the Same Anymore
Always – (Encore)
