As a college student trying to balance school, work, and a healthy, happy adult life, concerts aren’t always the easiest to attend. However, my roommate surprised another fellow roommate and I with King Princess tickets for Christmas (Thank you Simran)! On January 24th, 2019, I was lucky enough to see King Princess perform at Irving Plaza. It was the second (sold out) show the rising ensemble played in New York City this year, but the first in the borough of Manhattan.
King Princess, a.k.a Mikaela Straus is a 20 Year old from Brooklyn, NYC. In early 2018, her song 1950 touched the hearts of millions, followed by her Make My Bed EP a few months later. Mikaela’s uncensored, jubilant, out-and-proud lyrics drew millennials to her sound quickly.
For my group, the night started at a quarter to 7, as we waited in a line that had already stretched from the door, around the building, and almost halfway to Union Square Park. “Are all these people even going to fit inside?” my roommate wondered, surveying our fellow concertgoers donned in butterfly clips, cargo pants, and glitter.
“New York! New York… you guys look… so gay!” Mikaela proclaimed from the front of the stage, almost an hour and a half later, to which the crowd roared. She introduced us to her band members, “Logan, and Melody, mother gay, and Antoine, and Jonah, and Antoine’s from France!”. She then opened with Useless Phrases, following with Cheap Queen, which made it seem like all of Irving Plaza was yelling that they “could make grown men cry.” King Princess played all the songs from her Make My Bed EP, as well as some tracks from her upcoming album, Pussy Is God. Extra devoted fans attended her Brooklyn show the night before and came to the Manhattan show already knowing the words to the newest choruses.
The highlight of the night had to be during Talia when the entire venue seemed to bounce. The bass and the words were coursing through everyone so intensely that there wasn’t a single person standing still. The light and fog display made the band look ethereal, and Mikaela came close to the edge of the stage to reach out to her fans.
The show as a whole was a mix of contagious energy and humor. Mikaela held dialogue with the crowd, some people throwing hats and sunglasses, some proclaiming their love for her. One person announced that they were from the Upper West Side, referring to her tune about judging those who live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, but not being able to get enough of a special someone from the neighborhood. Mikaela responded to the Upper West Sider with a sigh and “Oh, honey…” which drove the crowd into chuckles.
Their performance was definitely one I’d want to see again. I can absolutely see why the most devoted attended the Brooklyn and Manhattan shows. Although Irving Plaza was a general admission theatre and there was nowhere to sit (and myself and my roommate definitely didn’t wear the most comfortable footwear for this), we had an incredible time! King Princess knows how to entertain a crowd, and she’s unquestionably a force to be reconned with.