CONCERT REVIEW: Melanie Martinez Takes Trilogy Tour To Amsterdam

Eight years have passed since we first saw Melanie Martinez step onto a Dutch stage. Back then, her debut album Cry Baby had already taken the music world by storm, and she performed to a packed crowd at Melkweg’s Max room, a 1500-capacity venue that had sold out months in advance. As her popularity soared, she graduated to bigger venues during the K-12 tour. But it was her latest album Portals that marked the beginning of her arena shows across Europe.

Now, with the Portals era winding down, Martinez embarked on what could only be described as her version of Taylor Swift’s iconic Eras Tour. Dubbed the Trilogy Tour, this concert series would highlight the full spectrum of her three-album career. For Dutch fans, this meant another step up in venue size, landing her at the 17,500-capacity Ziggo Dome—the country’s largest venue for pure music performances.

Despite the significant increase in capacity from the 7,000 seats of her Portals tour, Martinez nearly filled the venue to its brim. Both rings were open, and the floor was packed with eager fans, ready for a memorable night.

For many, the real thrill of the evening lay in the rare opportunity to hear some of Martinez’s older songs live, tracks she hadn’t performed in years. Songs like Cry Baby, Show & Tell, and Teacher’s Pet took fans on a nostalgic journey through her earlier eras.

The show itself was a spectacle. Martinez’s performance was enhanced by a massive, ever-changing stage setup, with a particularly dramatic transformation for the Portals portion of the show. This album, after all, follows Cry Baby’s journey into the afterlife, and the stage design, not to mention of course Melanie Martinez‘s outfit, reflected that shift in tone and environment.

But it wasn’t just the stage that made this show stand out. Martinez brought a full crew of dancers, just as she had during her previous K-12/Portals tours. Together, they recreated scenes from her music videos and the full-length movie accompanying the K-12 album. Fireworks and pyrotechnics also made appearances throughout the evening, adding even more energy to an already unforgettable performance.

Hearing the older songs live again was a highlight for many fans, especially since Martinez had previously stuck to performing tracks from her latest albums while on tour. However, there was a bit of disappointment when some of these earlier songs were shortened to make room for the lengthier tracks from Portals. Despite this minor letdown, the Amsterdam show will surely be fondly remembered by the nearly 17,000 fans in attendance.

Below you’ll find a gallery from the extraordinary evening with photos from Martinez’s iconic K-12 outfit during the final songs of the K-12 portion of the show, to the intricate costume of the creature that Cry Baby becomes in the afterlife. This show was a true celebration of Melanie Martinez’s journey as an artist—one that her Dutch fans won’t soon forget.

CONCERT REVIEW: Melanie Martinez Brings PORTALS To Ecstatic Amsterdam Crowd

In a highly anticipated return to The Netherlands since the onset of the pandemic, Melanie Martinez graced Amsterdam with her presence for an unforgettable performance, marking her largest show in the city to date. The venue, which had sold out its 6,000 tickets months in advance, buzzed with excitement as fans eagerly awaited the hauntingly theatrical spectacle accompanying Martinez’s third album, PORTALS.

Unlike her previous works that delved into the intricacies of Cry Baby‘s life, both at home and in school, PORTALS takes a poignant turn as Cry Baby meets her demise, paving the way for a captivating rebirth showcased in Martinez’s stage persona. The concert, captured in photos at the bottom of this page, revealed Martinez not as the familiar Cry Baby character but as her transformed, reborn self.

The setlist, a deliberate nod to Martinez’s consistency, offered no surprises. Echoing the structure of the Cry Baby and K-12 tours, the concert featured a complete rendition of the album from start to finish, including the deluxe edition tracks. The stage, a theatrical marvel, boasted a massive screen that dynamically shifted with each song, projecting the atmospheric essence or segments from the accompanying music videos. The visual spectacle extended to inflatable mushrooms, a life-sized descending spider web during Spider Web, and a talented ensemble of dancers and musicians sharing the stage with Martinez.

While the production may not have reached the elaborate heights of the K-12 tour, it undeniably delivered a theatrically pleasing experience, a hallmark of Melanie Martinez‘s creative ingenuity. Overall, the show, possibly affected by the album not reaching the same meteoric success as K-12” or Cry Baby, may not have surpassed initial sky-high expectations. However, it remains a visual feast and a testament to Martinez’s continued commitment to pushing creative boundaries.