Review: Ingrid Michaelson Takes NYC To The Upside Down

Indie-pop queen Ingrid Michaelson took New York City to the upside down on the appropriately titled The Dramatic Tour with special guest Maddie Poppe on October 28 at Webster Hall.

To kick off the highly energetic night was season 16 American Idol Winner Maddie Poppe.

The adorable singer/songwriter opened her nine song set which was a mixture of originals and covers with a cover of Radiohead's "High And Dry" which got the crowd highly interested for the rest of her set. Poppe was not afraid to crack some jokes in between songs even getting her guitarist to do a fantastic Kermit the Frog impression after busting out a cover of "Rainbow Connection".

Poppe's upper range is unbelievable. It gave me goosebumps when she hit some of those higher notes. She had every right to be crowned the season 16 winner of American Idol. It's safe to say she left with a new fan.

After a short set change, fans went into piercing screams as Michaelson's bandmates Chris Kuffner (Bass), Hannah Winkler (backup vocals), Billy Libby (guitar), Allie Moss (backup vocals and guitar) and Sara B Singh (drums) walked on stage and played the opening notes of "Freak Show" before she appeared on stage and showed off her stylish hand-made 'Stranger Songs' jacket.

The singer/songwriter's set included 20 songs in total- originals and 80s song covers. After all, it was a tour centered around her Stranger Songs album inspired by the hit Netflix series Stranger Things.

Michaelson brought out her niece River to have the crowd sing happy birthday to River's father which was a heartwarming moment.

It's not an Ingrid Michaelson show without her cracking jokes the entire time: between name-dropping a guy she had feelings for years ago and deeming "Pretty" as her 'period song' it made for a highly enjoyable night!

A highlight was Michaelson performing "Christmas Lights" which is one of my favorites off of Stranger Songs. Towards the end of the song she asked everyone to pull out their phone flashlights and wave it in the air. It was an emotional moment for her as she held back the tears and honestly so did I.

The crowd went wild when she introduced and talked about writing the music for the upcoming musical The Notebook based on the Nicholas Sparks novel which lead into a performance of "Words" accompanied by Hannah Winkler and Allie Moss. I cannot wait to learn even more about it and find out who is cast in the show.

Afterwards, she invited the rest of the band back to the stage along with Poppe to perform fan-favorite "You & I" and before busting into the song, Michaelson discussed how Maddie ended up on the tour and how awkward and fun she is. The performance included the famous "spoon".

A Stranger Things inspired tour couldn't be without a cover of "The Never-Ending Story" - the scene in the show was iconic and a highlight of season 3.

To end the night, Michaelson performed a cover of Madonna's "Material Girl" with a whole dance routine with her band to wrap it up.

I've seen Ingrid Michaelson three other times before this and The Dramatic Tour reaffirmed my love for her. She's such a talented, hilarious gem of a human. Her songs touch deep.

Watch the performance of "Words" below.

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