Meghan Trainor is embracing the viral fame of her music on a new tour with social media stars as opening acts
Meghan Trainor brought her infectious pop confections to Jiffy Lube Live on Tuesday (Sept 17th). The “No” singer delivered an upbeat show that, true to the tour’s name, was Timeless.
Over the last few years, Trainor has become one of the most prolific artists in her chosen genre. From her breakout “All About That Bass” to “Lips Are Movin’,” and her more recent TikTok sensation, “Made You Look,” she has perhaps produced more earworm than any of her contemporaries.
And those catchy tunes were all present at the Virginia show. Trainor’s supple voice is a combination of sultry and carefree that effortlessly and earnestly sells her tongue-in-cheek catalog.
Trainor’s audience is equal part pop fans and young girls who have fallen for her as their first favorite artist. This much was obvious when she asked “Is this anyone’s first-ever concert?” And the ear-piercing scream of hundreds—if not thousands—of girls betrayed their extra-sensory delight at experiencing live music.
Dancers joined Trainor sporadically, adding to the eye candy on stage. There were also large circular barbershop bulb mirrors, and a massive upper stage. The diminutive Trainor wisely spent much of the show atop the taller platform.
Trainor performed the bouncy “Title” on a sparkly Ukulele. And she got personal with the inspiring “Superwoman,” followed by the piano ballad “Like I’m Gonna Lose You.” She also found space in her stacked setlist to play “Criminals,” the theme song from the soapy Netflix thriller starring Nicole Kidman. Her dancers even did the choreography from the title sequence.
To kick off the show, Trainor brought along her bestie Chris Olsen. Olsen has amassed a 13-million-strong following on “the clock app” by parlaying his naturally campy persona, good looks, and musical theater background in 60-second bytes of escapism. But in real life, he’s Trainor’s social media manager and erstwhile “paid best friend.” (Though he’d gladly hang with her for free.)
A Chevy Chase, Maryland native, Olsen sang three musical theater staples and parodied his online fame, all while his family watched. Olsen also jammed with Meghan’s brother Ryan Trainor, as the latter DJed before Meghan started. Olsen brought out his Filipino grandmother, affectionately called “Lola,” and the crowd showered her with adoration.
Following Olsen was Paul Russell, whose “Li’l Boo Thang” went viral as a sound on TikTok and Reels. Presently a one-hit social media star, his voice shows future promise as an authentic R&B singer.
It’s telling that this show served as the first concert for so many in the 10-15 set. This generation first encountered Trainor’s music on TikTok with dance challenges. So it seems this tour was purposely designed to educate her audience. She’s demonstrating that the people on both sides of the TikTok screen don’t live in a vacuum. Trainor is educating her new faithful that music isn’t just about bopping on social media. Through her concert, she’s acting as a conduit for the kind of connection live music is meant to create when we put phones down, by giving her fans a Timeless experience.
