Concertgoers found a sea of pride flags, a mosh pit and an amazing vocal performance at the “World in Red” tour on March 11.
Marie Ulven Ringheim, better known as “girl in red,” rose to fame with her bedroom-pop EPs chapter 1 and chapter 2, releasing in 2018 and 2019. Since being named a “queer icon” by Paper Magazine, she began to grow a large queer audience through the bringing normalization of sexuality in her work and releasing queer anthems like “girls” and “i wanna be your girlfriend.”
Ringheim’s tour — “World in Red '' — was announced in March 2021 to celebrate the release of her first studio album, if i could make it go quiet, released on April 30. She shared to her instagram that every stop in North America and Europe was sold out, a total of 46 venues.
An hour before the sold out show, a line wrapped down the street and around the corner of the 9:30 Club in downtown D.C., named as one of the 10 best live music venues in America by Rolling Stone in 2018.
The venue was a perfect fit for the show. The first floor was packed to the brim and the second was more spacious, allowing attendees to stand at the railing with an unobstructed view of the stage.
Ringheim followed her band to the stage, bursting out of the dark and into the flashing lights, opening the show with her signature pop-punk song, “You Stupid B-tch.”
This song set the tone for the night. Ringheim showed her rock influence throughout the show, jumping around the stage and flipping her hair as the audience moshed on the floor. Concert-goers could feel her energy and reciprocated it throughout the show. There was barely a moment of stillness in the crowd.
“This is the fourth headline show and it's the best crowd so far,” Ringheim said after performing her hit song, “girls.” She continued to interact with the crowd, giving away a hat, guitar picks and receiving a tie-dye shirt passed to the stage from an audience member.
One of the only moments of silence throughout the concert was when Ringheim talked about mental health, saying, “Just f------ hang in there you know and shit gets better.” This came with no surprise, as her work is known for touching on themes of mental health, as well as teenage relationships and queerness.
It is clear that Ringheims music brings people together. Standing inches away from one another, the audience shared tears, dances and the love of Ringheims' music throughout the entire show. During almost every song, the audience could be heard singing back at Ringheim. Whether it was a cry or a moment of moshing, the crowd was in it together.
One of the most electrifying moments of the show was when Ringheim dove into the crowd, surfing halfway through the venue and back to the stage.
It was only when the show was over that the audience chanted for an encore, up until Ringheim came back to the stage with even more energy than before. She split the crowd down the center and started a mosh pit with her final song, “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend.”
This show provided the perfect mix of togetherness, electric energy and beautiful vocals.
Ringheim’s tour will continue through May, with energy like no other.
