On a cool April evening in Columbus, Ohio, three genre-bending artists lit up the stage at Kemba Live! as part of half•alive’s Persona World Tour. With a lineup that promised diversity and delivered impact, singer-songwriter mehro, indie-pop group The Walters, and the ever-evolving alt-pop outfit half•alive brought their unique sounds—and electrifying stage presence—to a crowd eager for connection, catharsis, and a good time.
With only 25 minutes to show the crowd what they’re all about, mehro—a singer-songwriter who creates music spanning across all different genres—catches the attention of the welcoming Ohio crowd at the popular Columbus venue, Kemba Live!, with their contagious energy and captivating sound on April 18. mehro, alongside the indie-band, The Walters, are opening for half•alive on their US leg of the Persona World Tour.
The second the lights went dark an hour after doors opened, a mystifying, strange jewelry box-like sound filled the venue, causing eyes to be drawn to the stage in wonders of what this eerie loop could be alluding to. It was only then that mehro, alongside their drummer and guitarist, confidently took to the stage with an acoustic guitar and a That’s So Raven shirt to sing their dark yet grounding song, “pirate song.” The bridge which asks the question, “Are you ready / To let me in?,” was sung with such eagerness and passion that made it seem like mehro was making a promise to the crowd that they wouldn’t disappoint if given the chance to be listened to—foreshadowing the beautiful set they were about to give.
Off the bat, the crowd was drawn in. mehro keeps the momentum going, but invites in a haunting twist with “ketamine,” a heavy, meaningful song that, despite the lyrics unveiling the devastating, yet real tragedy of drug abuse blindness, is dressed in a playful, easily-digestible sound. If by this point there was someone in the crowd who hadn’t been swept off their feet by mehro’s art, they were sure to find something to resonating or electrifying in the closing few tracks.
“Raise your hand if you have regretted anything you have ever done in your love life?,” mehro asks the crowd as hands shoot in the air, including their own. After scanning the crowd for the ones who stayed with their hands at their side, mehro followed up with, “let’s make some noise to the 60 percent who have never regretted anything they’ve ever done in their love life!” The crowd erupted with cheers and laughter, as mehro congratulated those who are sound with their love life decisions.
“This next song you’re not going to be able to relate to at all, you’re not going to get it,” mehro announces to the 60 percent before playing, “chance with you.” This fan favorite tells mehro’s personal, yet relatable story of dealing with the curse of regret and 20/20 hindsight in love with honest lyricism and angelic, transformative instrumentation—a creative way to voice a wish, or a yearning, for a second chance to shoot your shot.
The next track, “pretty kids” satisfied those who were waiting for a track to let loose to—its upbeat quality crafted from the electric, bright guitar solos, carrying drum beat and a fun, next-level bridge encouraged the crowd to bring out all things chaotic to match the song’s care-free, celebratory energy. At this point, it seemed like the crowd— with their blood pumping and an itch to hear what more mehro had up their sleeve—was irrevocably convinced that mehro didn’t come on stage to waste their time.
While closing out the set with their tracks, “Lady Parts and Mannequins” and “You’re So Pretty,” mehro brought out their grunge/alternative rock side, venturing from the indie folk/pop style that was present in the first half of the set. The crowd, now pumped up for half•alive’s set, was treated with a musical adventure of different sounds and stories, with each song’s performance instantly becoming memorable on an individual as well as a collective level.
The thing about mehro’s set is that it tended to suit everyone’s music taste. Whether you enjoy soft indie lullabies, metal rock anthems or anything in between, mehro’s set has you covered. Channeling versatility, creative freedom and the openness to touch ground in a wide range of sounds and themes, shapes mehro into the artists they are. There seems to not be a single ounce of hesitancy to grasp every opportunity they get to expand, create, explore and challenge the boundaries of established genres. There is no doubt that half•alive’s crowd walked away with a new artist to add to their playlists, craving another set by a rock, acoustic, indie, singer-songwriter star that can be it all on stage.
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After mehro’s set, The Walters kept the stage warm for half•alive with a light-hearted, fun set that featured a handful of fan favorites. Frontman, Luke Olson, kept the mood enjoyable by sprinting across the stage and cracking jokes, which always seems to pump up a crowd. “City Blues,” “Sweet Marie” and “I Love You So” were crowd sing-alongs featuring dance moves and smiles. The ratio of upbeat to acoustic songs was the key component of a perfect recipe for The Walters as an opener: it gave the audience a chance to sample bits and pieces of their discography, allowing them to decide which ones were the tastiest.
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From the very start, half•alive grabbed everyones attention in the venue. It’s not everyday that two monster-looking creatures walk on stage to greet the crowd before the band does. It turns out that these mascots are the face of their album, Persona, which represents the concept of social masking. Instrumental music played as these monster mascots waved to the crowd, with their vibrant colors and crazy-looking facial expressions. The crowd cheered, knowing that the band that they’ve been waiting to see will soon be on stage.
The first few songs half•alive opened with were groovy mood-boosters that had the crowd jumping and swaying their hands in the air. As if the energy wasn’t already high enough, their performance of “Automatic”—their hit song off of Persona—transformed the venue into an electrifying, loud atmosphere full of passionate singing and dancing. The flashing lighting and guitar soloing on the high stage platform was an insane sight to see—the band truly gave this song their all.
It’s hard to choose what the star of the show was—the mind-blowing lighting or the breathtaking dancing interludes. On one hand, the lighting carried the show to it’s end, adding another performative layer by avoiding boring stagnant lighting. On the other, the dancers that joined half•alive on this tour were nothing shy of talented. Integrating dance numbers was a genius move. The dancers majestically drew in the audience with their choreography, opening up room for additional interpretation of the story half • alive was telling. Regardless, both of these show-stopping elements will send the crowd home with unique, unforgettable memories that they’ll always associate half • alive with.
Halfway through the show, half•alive slowed things down with a beautiful acoustic set featuring their songs, “Beige,” “Hot Tea” and “creature.” The room was filled with a sense of calmness as the raw vocals of half•alive seemed to bring the crowd together in awe. After they played their acoustic set, frontman, Josh Taylor, gave a heart-warming, appreciative speech to the crowd, thanking everyone for being there. He encouraged the crowd to celebrate this shared moment, calling attention to the fact that there will never be the same mix of people in that room every again. There’s no doubt that this band is more than grateful for all of their fans and the opportunities they get to bring their art on the road.
In March of this year, half•alive and The Walters released, “R.I.P”—a song they worked on together. It almost seemed like these two bands were obligated to perform this song together, to which they did, satisfying those in the crowd who were missing The Walters. It was a whole party on stage—half•alive and The Water’s chemistry was perfect, as they brought chaos and excitement to the crowd.
The second to last song, “still feel.”—half•alive most popular track—featured the best performance of the night. Everyone was feeling alive to this one, clapping along and finishing prompted lyrics. The momentum carried over to their last song, “RUNAWAY” which concluded their performance with a statement. The final words sung of the night were “I don’t need to run away.”
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half•alive’s energy was contagious, making the concert a vibe for all in attendance. It was also a huge plus getting to see mehro and The Waters in the same night, each band bringing something unique and memorable to the table.
Keep up with mehro: Spotify // Instagram // TikTok // YouTube
Keep up with half • alive: Spotify // Instagram // TikTok // YouTube
