Photos by Adriana Gutierrez ; Written by Adriana Gutierrez
It’s a rare phenomenon to witness an opening act mesh so well with their headlining counterpart, especially at a venue fitting less than 2,000 people. MARIS and Maude Latour didn’t just share a stage — they shared a wavelength.
On March 18th, the 25-year-old pop star MARIS opened for Maude Latour’s “Sugar Water Tour” at Royale Boston in all of her glimmering glory. Landing onstage like a visitor from a more fabulous dimension, MARIS made her entrance in a white spacesuit — part glam, part camp, and entirely her. Everything about her set felt like a nod to the intergalactic mythos she’s built around her brand.
MARIS is an artist who has made it her mission to create in the name of raw energy, queerness, and honesty. She kicked off her set with a powerful trio: “Going Yet!” , “False Idol, ” and “The Fight. The lively, 80s-inspired sound immediately invited Boston to embrace her retro-futuristic universe. A few songs in, she peeled off the spacesuit to reveal a pastel outfit beneath, the visual equivalent of a heart cracked open.
MARIS’s songwriting leans into vulnerability, and confidently balances heartbreak with joy. Whether she sings about growing pains, longing, or LA-induced disillusion, she radiates the energy of someone who’s lived through it and wants you to dance about it.
That exact energy crescendoed during her latest single, “Chameleon.” Before the show, dedicated fan Quinn (@quinn_cicc on Instagram) handed out tiny pieces of colorful paper for people to hold over their phone flashlights during the song. The crowd slowly lit up like a multicolored sea of stars.
MARIS was amazed, even acknowledging her surprise mid-song to the crowd before her (and again later that night on her Instagram story). Then came Maude Latour, who brought her own form of pop celebration to the stage. She began her set with “Officially Mine” and “Summer of Love” from her latest album Sugar Water.
Much like MARIS’s set, Maude Latour’s was all aligned. Her attention to melodramatic love, coming-of-age discovery, and summer flings was crystal clear in the production and costume design. Latour was dressed in a sparkly, sporty jersey adorned with her name and white lace-up boots.
A few songs in, she took off the jersey to reveal a shimmering blue bodysuit — a costume transition that mirrored MARIS’s earlier reveal, as if both artists were slowly but surely stepping into a disarming charm and confidence. Maude’s stagepresence was undoubtedly reciprocated by her fans, many of whom were dressed in similar sparkly attire.
By the end of the night, MARIS and Maude’s pairing felt beyond intentional; it felt cosmic. Both artists embrace the beautiful mess that is being young and alive. Feeling things deeply and figuring out who you are amidst the chaos of the world are tales as old as time, and yet MARIS and Maude have found ways to create such thematic pieces that sound timeless.
