Here at Phoenix Media Pass, we love highlighting Phoenix local artists. It’s even more exciting when we get to see local artists on big stages while on nationwide tours.
Upsahl, born and raised in Phoenix, is currently on tour with pop princess Madison Beer. The tour made a stop at The Van Buren and the love for Upsahl was loud as she took the stage. The indie-pop-rockstar took the stage adorned in a seemingly very heavy puffer, despite the heat she is very accustomed to. Her smile as she came out on stage was beaming, looking out to the full crowd and waving to some fans she spotted.
During “Antsy”, as Upsahl stood on stage, strumming her guitar, a few fans in the crowd took it upon themselves to hold their flashlights up. She pointed out to the sprinkle of lights and prompted everyone to follow along, announcing “Let’s do it! I see some of you with the flashlights. Let’s be dramatic, let’s be cute, Phoenix. Let’s take our our flashlights!” In an instant, the venue flooded with light, everyone happily obliging to her request. The lights waved back and forth, a bit disorderly but beautiful nonetheless.
An unreleased song on the setlist fit beautifully into the timing of the tour stop. “Summer So Hot”, a fun and sexy anthem about being young and living the summer to the fullest: ‘Everybody’s so wet / And I know we just met / But you kiss who you want / when the summer’s so hot.’ The crowd was dancing and cheering as Upsahl danced across the stage singing the song, before jumping into the equally sexy and fun “Sad Sorry After Party”.
After the show, before Beer took the stage, Upsahl walked around the packed in crowd, stopping to say hi to fans, hugging and taking selfies with many. She is a true sweetheart, through and through. It’s obvious she is meant for a big stage, with the crazy lights and the whole sha-bang. The talent she possesses, her songwriting ability, her heart, her stage presence – it’s all mixed together in an incredible artist and human.
