Pom Pom Squad’s The Mirror Ball Tour made its way to Chicago’s Lincoln Hall on Friday, March 7th. A single disco ball hung from the ceiling turning the room into a glittering dance floor. Frontwoman Mia Berrin, adorned in a Cinderella blue corseted dress, spent the night bouncing around the stage, her dress’s short ruffled skirt flowing as the singer spun and twirled under the reflecting lights.
Berrin’s dreamy vocals filled the room as she began the show with lead single “Downhill” from the band’s most recent album Mirror Starts Moving Without Me. With a strong bass-line, “Downhill” had the crowd swaying along to its addictive beat. “Spinning” and “Villain” were performed next, with “Villain” standing out as the haunting sounds of sharp breaths created a sinister energy throughout the venue. Berrin switched between melodic, almost lullaby-esc vocals and full-on screaming to convey the darker themes of the song. With lyrics like “they say she’s a victim, she’s a villian” and “make you pay for what you’ve done to me,” this song stood out as an anthem of female rage, and Berrin’s performance was full of raw emotion and anger.
The show continued with a few songs off the band’s Death of a Cheerleader album. These songs showed off the talents of band members Mari Ale Figemen, Shelby Keller, and Alex Mercuri as they tore up the venue with the hard-hitting instrumentals of “Shame Reactions”, and slowed down the pace with songs like “Forever” and “Be Good.”
Next on the setlist was “Black Sheep” by Metric, a song featured in the movie Scott Pilgrim VS The World. The crowd sang along to the familiar melody as Berrin tossed her waist-length jet-black hair around to the beat of the song.
Between songs, Berrin excitedly interacted with the crowd, telling anecdotes about her songwriting processes, noting how “beautiful the crowd looks tonight,” and discussing the importance of safe queer spaces for LGBTQ+ people today—such as the one which the crowd found themselves in that night.
The interaction between the band and the crowd went further as Berrin tossed red roses into the crowd during one of the last songs of the night. Roses were not the only prop used during the show however, as Berrin bore two large silver Pom Poms which sparkled as she performed “Street Fighter,” and theatrically sang “The Tower” to her own reflection holding a delicate silver mirror with both hands.
Pom Pom Squad delivered a beautiful mix of bass heavy grunge instrumentals, slow and emotional indie ballads, loud and aggressive rock vocals, and beautiful classical violin and piano samples which make up their diverse and unique soundscape. Along with their magical Alice in Wonderland-esc aesthetic, Pom Pom Squad delivered a raw and emotional show wrapped up with a large satin bow.