Review | Melanie Martinez’s The Trilogy Tour

Melanie Martinez is not your typical reality singing show contestant. Martinez’s first widespread public recognition came from her audition on The Voice with her cover of Britney Spears’s “Toxic.” Despite not winning, she has become one of the show’s biggest success stories. But what sets her apart from most of the pop acts that come out of such shows is her steady, individualistic vision. In a setting where contestants were voted for on the basis of who they presented to be, Martinez chooses to play in the world of imagination. And on the Trilogy Tour — which brought her before a sold-out crowd at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on May 15 — she showcases the evolution of her alter ego, “Cry Baby.” 

On her debut album of the same name, Martinez utilized childhood imagery as a pastel landscape to lure you into her stark, biting stories of struggles, including addiction, heartache, and family dysfunction. She kept the kid-like theme on K-12, with a continuation leading the baby imagery to turn school-themed. Her latest record, Portals, shows “Cry Baby” reborn as an earthy, pink-skinned being, with a more mature and lively sound.

You may have heard of Melanie Martinez through the virality of one of the songs off of her debut album, Cry Baby, released in 2015 but gaining popularity through TikTok in 2020. We are currently in the midst of a behemoth of live music, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. And with an interest for the entirety of Martinez’s catalog from both day-one fans and new TikTok fans alike, it’s the perfect time for Martinez to embark on a tour through her own eras. Martinez started her L.A. show with part one of the trilogy, dedicated to Cry Baby, as she opened with the title track. She was accompanied by a live band on either side of her, and her dancers were dressed in baby outfits. As she moved into “Dollhouse,” the contrast of the pastel colors of the backing visuals added an eeriness to the message of her lyrics, including the line “No one ever listens / This wallpaper glistens / Don’t let them see what goes down in the kitchen” and “Everyone thinks that we’re perfect / Please don’t let them look through the curtains.”

Highlights from the Cry Baby portion of the show included Martinez dancing atop a giant stage that looked like alphabet blocks during “Alphabet Boy,” fan favorite “Play Date,” and a passionate rendition of “Pity Party,” which saw Martinez wailing, “I’ll cry if I want to.” 

A giant wash of ocean water filled the screen behind Martinez and showed Cry Baby–themed props, such as baby toys and a crib, floating away as the show moved into part two: K-12. During “Show & Tell,” Martinez pretended she was a puppet being pulled by strings with accompanying props and jagged choreography. Her commitment to the bit was impressive, as Martinez embodied a tortured doll onstage. 

During “Nurse’s Office,” Martinez was pushed around laying on a hospital bed with a camera hanging above her face and the upper half of her body. Her backing dancers surrounded her and pretended to operate on her as she writhed in pain singing, “I’m bleeding… / Band-Aids won’t heal it.” 

For “Class Fight,” Martinez and one of her dancers were on vertical moving seats on a post with a giant seesaw animated in the background. The way Martinez incorporated her sets into the story she was presenting showed an extreme amount of attention, effort, and care that is not typical of live shows. It was emotionally resonant, and made the show feel more effective than usual. 

Moving into part three, Portals, “Cry Baby” was reborn as she donned a four-eyed fairy mask and a dress made up of what appeared to be faux elements of nature. Standouts included “Battle of the Larynx,” with its high-energy instrumentation that saw even the backing players dancing; “Void,” with its razor-sharp hooks and thrumming beat; and “Nymphology,” which saw Martinez beam as she watched the crowd scream the words out and jump in unison with her.

Having not addressed the crowd much at all throughout the show, it was a bit disarming at the end of the night as Martinez dropped out of “Cry Baby” and appeared to just be herself as she repeatedly thanked the audience for coming to the show. She seemed to be the opposite of how she was during the show in some ways: a bit shy rather than confident, soft in her movements rather over-assertive, and speaking with a sweet authenticity that contrasted the charged vocals that glided over a majority of her set. 

And, while still wearing her “Cry Baby” mask, Martinez ended the show in the most mask-off way she could have:

“I love you…. Free Palestine!”