Malcolm Todd brought both his iconic pink guitar and a passionate fanbase to the Filmore auditorium last Thursday. It was the final show of his Wholesome Rockstar tour, and the young crowd screamed along to every song. Here are my biggest takeaways from the rising star’s concert.
At 22 years old, Todd has amassed 9,393,391 monthly listeners on Spotify. I discovered the indie pop artist at the end of 2024 through a TikTok trend. Creators were using the lyrics from his song “Chest Pain (I Love)” and overlaying it with five videos of things they love. Since then I’ve listened to his music just about every day.
Laundry Day was the opening band. They matched Todd’s lyrical themes by singing about relatable teenage realities and vulnerability. It was surprising to learn that one of the members, Sawyer Nunes, is from New Orleans. They were grateful to perform, expressing they wouldn’t be here without Todd.
What makes the up and coming artist popular? He takes his craft seriously while incorporating coy comedy into his performances. When he was transitioning from one song to the next, he teased the crowd by using other artists’ music.
For example, his band began the intro to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” and fans went ballistic. Todd silenced the band and sarcastically quipped “That must have been an accident. I don’t really get why you guys are cheering for that cause I don’t play that song. It’s kind of confusing but whatever.”
By incorporating this bit into the show, Todd showed a humorous side and had some fun with the audience. It’s qualities like this that make me think Todd will become a mainstream star soon. Todd performed on Jimmy Kimmel’s show this year, and he’s made a couple of appearances on the Billboard charts.
Who knows what else is in store for his future? I believe Todd’s authenticity sets him apart from other artists in the industry. I love his signature quirky style. The stage backdrop displayed his name just above a deer head taxidermy mount. White picket fences covered in vines lined the stage. This design is the last thing I expected, but immediately I thought “This is Malcolm Todd!” The random and quirky decor is a part of his artistic vision.
While appearance is a large part of being a performer, Todd rejects the typical conventions of nonchalant and stylish rockstars. Instead, he aims to be eccentric and playful. While he performed his song “Who’s the fool” his band made part of the song sound like a music box, signaling that Todd is carefree like a child.
At one point, Todd turned his back to the audience, put one hand in the air, and did a sassy little dance with his hips before spinning back around to the microphone. Todd reminds me of an older brother that’s a little bit of a troublemaker. You want to be like him, even if it means breaking the rules a bit.
From chugging champagne to shamelessly cursing through the night, it was unpredictable what he’d do next to hype up his audience. Todd gave a stellar performance, and my biggest takeaways were that I like his character first and his music second.
I plan to see him live again because he’s the kind of artist that’s using his music to serve something larger than himself. He’s helping his young audience get through heart break, explore themselves, and to have fun while doing so.
