Kim Petras @ Olympia

2023 saw Kim Pretras release multiple hit collaborations, drop two full-length albums, and even win a Grammy award. To top off this soaring success she is now touring in support of her debut album “Feed The Beast”; needless to say, my intrigue was piqued when she announced a concert in Montreal this Sunday at L’Olympia.

The concert was opened by Alex Chapman, an American DJ and collaborator of Petras, known most recently for his work writing Troye Sivan’s hit song “Rush.” Playing a mix of Y2K throwbacks and contemporary bops, which included Nicki Minaj’s “Chun-Li,” Paris Hilton’s “Star Are Blind,” Ice Spice’s “Deli,” and Paramore’s “Misery Business,” he had L’Olympia turned into a rave as he expertly pulled songs adjacent to Petras’ genre in preparation for her set.

Three cloaked dancers emerged on stage, opening a metallic sarcophagus to reveal Petras inside – laser beams shooting out from behind her head as if a robotic halo. She opened with “Feed The Beast,” “Personal Hell,” and “King Of Hearts,” off of her new record. “Unholy” was performed with a dancer in a horned mask, Petras waving a cloth around as if engaging in a bullfight. I was excited for the live performance of this song that had plagued all of our TikTok feeds; however the juxtaposition between her dancer’s articulate and energetic choreography while she unenthusiastically strutted around the stage was underwhelming.

After a quick interlude, Petras reappeared in a tuxedo blazer dress – the first of many costume changes for the night. Celebrating her revered Slut Pop album, she went through its X-rated hits, including “Slut Pop,” “Treat Me Like A Slut”, “XXX,” and “Throat Goat”. This act was delightfully theatrical, with the use of a phallic-shaped microphone dangled from the ceiling, a hot-pink whip, and her costume, which ripped away to reveal a neon lingerie set underneath.

A velvet purple bed was wheeled on stage, reminiscent of Madonna’s Blonde Ambition Tour’s stage set. Playing behind Petras were visuals of herself as a Herculean man wearing prosthetic abs while she belted out “Claws” and “Hillside Boys”. After leading her fans through a “woo-ah!” chant, she finished this act with a raunchy rendition of “BAIT”, straddling her dancer to her fans’ screaming excitement.

Taking a gothic turn, the next act included black-and-white visuals of thorns, corpses on stakes, and dark forests. On a revolving stage, Petras took the crowd through her “Turn Off The Light” EP as her dancers in demon suits crawled behind her. “There Will Be Blood” was an edgy highlight of the night, and she finished off this era with “Everybody Dies”, to which her crowd endearingly waved their flashlights in the air. Though autotune is used a few times throughout her night in an intentionally stylistic, hyper-pop effect, it seemed she was relying on it a bit too heavily – especially for a ballad like “Everybody Dies,” where the vocals should be the standout element.

Changing into a flowing white chiffon dress with silver sequins, Petras emerged like Elsa back on the stage with visuals of ice-capped mountains beside her. Fake snow fluttered down around her as she brought the set back to her “Feed The Beast” album, with “brrr,” “Minute,” and “Castle In The Sky.”

Returning to the stage for a final encore, Petras and her dancers performed in front of a giant disco penis, bidding the crowd goodbye with one last “woo-ah!” chant. She saved her catchiest for last with “Alone – 2.0”, “Problématique,” and “Heart to Break” to end the concert.

The attention to detail in the stage production was a shining highlight – I only wish that effort could have been applied to Petras’ vocal performance and stage presence. Listening to her studio album, she is delivering Ariana Grande-esque runs and belts, which would have been a spectacle to hear live but ultimately was carried by autotune and backing track throughout the night. Her choreography was just as lacklustre; it seemed to be an afterthought as I watched her three dancers steal the show around her. This six-act concert is admirably ambitious – the elaborate set pieces, lighting design and costumes are superb; however, Petras’ performance doesn’t seem to match the grandeur these other elements achieve. At the end of the day, the goal of the electronic pop music she makes is to bring a crowd together to dance their woes away, and she most certainly electrified her fans in attendance – turning L’Olympia Theatre into a club. The “Feed The Beast” Tour is a seductive and campy show, bringing a fun night out to Montreal.