Chicago loves a primadonna: Nessa Barrett’s dark pop haunted Thalia Hall
Spooky season definitely arrived early at Thalia Hall as TikToker-turned-singer Nessa Barrett took the stage on April 7th.
Performing to a sold out crowd, Chicago was one of Barrett’s tour stops -showcasing her latest work, an 8 song EP titled, “Jesus loves a primadonna”. And she was at her most captivating yet. Escorted by two gentlemen - one on each arm - Barrett sauntered out on stage, which was flanked by two gargoyle statues -one on each side.
Donning a beaded /sequined, sea foam green calf-length dress, Barrett set the mood right away with the “…primadonna” track, “Venom”, as she sang, “I like my roses dying / I watch as my heart turns black”. She sang in a higher register in the pre-chorus, “I got a real bad disease / it's living inside of me / makes me sick, makes me weak / But I never wanna be free” before dipping back down into a lower tone, “It's the venom, yeah …Is this what it means to be in love? Venom on my lips and on my tongue”.
“Welcome to my coven” the New Jersey native quietly chirped into the mic after the first song, a small smile crept across her face. It was as if Barrett dared the audience to catch the word “coven”, like, Did anyone catch what I just said?“We’re gonna have a great f***in’ time tonight!” On “Moulin Rouge”, Barrett searches for a guy who would, “F*** me so good I wanna die”, and when she sang those words, you felt it. The former TikToker brought out a tambourine for the Lana Del Rey-esq. “West Coast Prayer”, where she pondered longingly, “Is there a God on the west coast?”
An audience singalong took hold during the more radio-friendly “American Jesus” -the artist marveled at fans singing along with her. On “gaslight” - a cut from her debut album, “young forever” (2022) - Barrett warned, “Love's a dangerous game” as she then questioned, “Why am I jealous if I'm yours? / Why do you make me insecure? / Why do you tell me not to worry / When you always f***in' hurt me?” Lamenting, “…I'm not crazy if I'm right”.
“High On Heaven” saw Barrett rock out on guitar during the song’s bridge and she magically appeared in the opera box right of the stage to perform “KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME BOY” (yes, in all caps),a deluxe edition bonus track off her 2nd album, “AFTERCARE” (2024).
On another “…primadonna” track, “Stay With Me”, Barrett admitted, “I’ll try not to cry singing this for you guys” (she carried through without a tear in sight). An acoustic guitar was brought out for “decay”, which was possibly the closest we were going to get to a bouncy, campfire-esq. tune. Because you sure didn’t attend a Nessa Barrett concert expecting to hear cutesy, shiny pop tunes. In true Nessa fashion, the singer promised to love a special person even after they’ve both passed on, “When our bodies start to wither / And there’s bugs inside our brains / And I'll still want you when we'rе six feet in the ground / When our bones arе cold and rotten / Promise I'll still be around”.
This marked my third time seeing Nessa Barrett in concert and, while I don’t know her personally, it’s clear the 23 year old has seen some things. Indeed, Barrett‘s music deals with heavy topics, a rarity within the pop music realm. It’s actually quite refreshing. Thalia Hall was a place for Barrett to express her emotions -free of judgement. For that alone, you simply could not look away.