Alternative singer-songwriter Gigi Perez exhibited the confusing feelings of grief, eternity and all-consuming love at the House of Blues for her “At The Beach In Every Life” tour Oct. 15.
Supporting artist, Hannah Jadagu, charged the venue with electricity and got the crowd properly warmed up for the main event. Jadagu and her supporting band’s talent did not go unnoticed by the roaring crowd.
Fans were shaking in excitement when the house lights dimmed. The speakers rang out “La vida es un Carnaval” by Celia Cruz. Every time the song would have a dramatic pause, the stage would light up, revealing the red carnation decorated empty stage.
Once the song ended, Gigi Perez’s late sister Celene Perez’s voice softly echoed through the house. The audio was from a voicemail that Celene Perez left for Gigi Perez before she passed. Celene Perez’s voicemails are a recurring motif throughout the new album.
Gigi Perez and her band made their way onto the stage and went right into the opening song, “Please Be Rude.” The crowd thundered and sang every word alongside her.
Any fan of Gigi Perez knows how important her family, especially Celene Perez, is to her and her music.
When she played the opening chords of “Fable,” the roar from the crowd was overwhelming. At the end of the song, the aforementioned voicemail from Celene Perez played. I have never heard a crowd go that silent so fast in my life.
The respect her fans have for her sister and her art is truly admirable, and there was not a single dry eye in the room when she sang, “stars blink like my sister’s eyes.” Her performance further demonstrated that Celene Perez’s memory will forever live on through Gigi Perez’s music, something that is so unique about her work.
After a few songs and many tears from the audience, Gigi Perez talked about the time she spent in Boston as a young woman and the last time she was at the House of Blues. She recalled when she was a 19 year old Berklee student and she saw FKA Twigs. Six years later, she expressed her gratitude to be playing at the same venue and in the city that formed who she is today.
The next song, “Normalcy,” has a line about Boston in it, and she then revealed that she was ecstatic to play it in the city that inspired it.
Gigi Perez is an astounding performer and the shining star of the night, but a lot of credit needs to be given to the lead guitarist, Sonya Rae Taylor. She tore through solos with precision and energy all night and carried every single instrumental interlude. Taylor’s guitar solo at the end of “Normalcy” gave me chills, and I wished for her to have more solos throughout the night.
As a bit of an interlude and switch of instruments, Gigi Perez’s mostly instrumental song, “Survivor’s Guilt,” serenaded the crowd. The song is mostly filled with audio of Celene Perez’s operatic vocals and the emotionally wrenching orchestral arrangement.
Gigi Perez was then solo on the stage and strummed her 2024 single “Sometimes (Backwood).” Her raw vocals and acoustic guitar settled deep in my soul, and it was one of my favorite performances of the night.
Gigi Perez sets herself apart with a laid-back but enrapturing stage presence. She continued to interact with fans while delivering meticulous guitar riffs and difficult vocals. Her high-pitched riffs sounded exactly like Celene Perez, living on through Gigi Perez’s voice.
“Glue,” from her 2023 album, “How To Catch A Falling Knife,” made its tour debut after a fan requested it. It’s a ballad about how hard it is to be a good partner after experiencing a detrimental loss. Gigi Perez playing this track was a complete surprise that the audience couldn’t have been more ready for.
The full band returned to the stage, and they began their cover portion of the night. They sang four covers total, including a song from Daft Punk and Mt. Joy. The real highlight was her cover of “Video Games” by Lana Del Rey. Perez is an absolute powerhouse of a vocalist, and her cover completely blew me away.
The titular track “At The Beach In Every Life” stood out as the most anticipated song of the night. An anthem about how grief meets the real world and shapes the way that we love. Musically, it’s one of her most distinctive tracks, with opposing time signatures and dynamic flow. It masterfully wraps up the album’s message and was executed flawlessly by Gigi Perez and her band.
“There I saw you standing / Must’ve been a holy light / ‘Cause I can’t see and I can’t feel / But the color in your eyes / Is saying if my dreams come up empty / And I wash up on the shore / You would find me at the beach / In every life, through every door,” sang Gigi Perez.
“Sugar Water,” the third track on her newest album, was performed with her sister Isabella Perez.
Fans screamed when Isabella Perez came on stage, and it was even more ear-splitting when she started singing. Their voices blend beautifully, and they clearly had such a wonderful time performing together. “Sugar Water” has a lyric that references Isabella Perez, making her appearance such a full-circle moment.
Gigi Perez closed with her viral hit, “Sailor Song.” A track so loved that even casual listeners knew the chorus. She and the band wore sailor hats gifted by a fan for the duration of the performance.
Following the staggering performance, Gigi Perez made a speech about how Boston will always hold a special place in her heart.
She revealed that when she spent time in the city, she didn’t know who she was or what the future held for her. After a major loss in her life and a faith crisis, she didn’t have a ton of people to rely on. She emphasized how important it is to know that you’re never truly alone, and it’s okay to not know where life is taking you; you’ll get there eventually.
What sets her discography apart from others is how uniquely personal it feels. Acoustic alternative-folk is not a new feat, but something about her deeper voice with compelling lyricism makes her that much more striking. Her songs rarely follow the same structure, often resisting traditional endings, which only deepens their emotional pull. I’ll keep her in rotation on the beach, by the lake or alone in my room in every life.
