I was in line for the bathroom at Barboza. Corey Harper had just wrapped his set. There was no other way to describe the night’s lineup than eclectic. The two acts who just performed, Gavin Haley and Corey Harper, were what I would describe as kind of an alternative style that leans a little towards R&B, while I knew the night’s co headliner, XYLO, had more of a dance music lean. As I stood in line, a cute blonde girl came up and stood next to me. She leaned in and said, “I hope you don’t mind, but could I cut in front of you?” The folks in the restroom before us were taking a while, but I replied, “Sure, but if these folks don’t hurry up, I may just use the upstairs restroom.” She smiled and said, “Thanks! I’m getting nervous. I’m performing next and I’m nervous they might go on without me.” I paused and said, “Hold on. Are you XYLO?” She smiled again and said, “Yeah.”

Of all the chance encounters I’ve had at concerts, this one was one of the more unique. Barboza is such an intimate venue that having the opportunity to meet a performer isn’t out of the question, but the headliner asking if she could cut in front of you to use the restroom because she is nervous her band will take the stage without her, now that’s a story.

Gavin Haley
The first performer of the night was Gavin Haley. I found out afterward, this was his first tour. For someone I had never heard of prior to performing, I felt like his set had a lot of depth. Hearing his stories about his background, and how his first exposure to a wide range of music was through XM Radio was interesting. His voice sounded great, and the acoustic guitar and piano combo lent well to his performance. A song that stood out from his set was “Better Off”. I kind of regret not getting one of his long sleeve t shirts, that he was selling with the choice of an apple or banana included with each purchase.

Corey Harper
The first headliner of the night was Corey Harper from Vancouver, Washington. As a Washington native, if not most, then a good portion of the crowd was there to see Harper perform. Harper mentioned it was his third time as a headliner and all three times the shows had sold out, so he was very happy for the support. His set was not quite country and not quite R&B, but felt like music you could go on a road trip to. The crowd was silent as Harper performed songs like “On the Run”, “California”, “I Fall Apart”, and a unique cover of Coldplay’s “Yellow”, among others. You could say his set was mesmerizing.

XYLO
In a continuation from the story in the intro, XYLO’s band did not take the stage without her (haha). I enjoyed her set. She did her best to engage the crowd and bring the energy to the Monday night audience. Her hair started in braids, but with all the jumping and dancing by the end of her set it did not remain that way. Songs like “Don’t Panic” and “I Still Wait For You” sounded great live. It was my first time hearing the song “America”. After the show, I downloaded it. The story it tells is compelling (to say the least). In the end, the crowd was already dancing, but the song that had us jumping was her collaboration with The Chainsmokers, “Setting Fires”. Overall, seeing XYLO perform live on a Monday was a great way to energize for the week ahead.

As the show wrapped, I made my way to the merch table. All three performers were milling around, meeting fans, and hanging out. As I walked up to XYLO, the first thing she said was, “We met at the bathroom, right?” (Haha!)

That reaction alone made my week.