Rex Orange County brought his signature timeless energy and love to the Observatory North Park.
As I approached the Observatory North Park to see Rex Orange County on November 13, my mouth dropped once I saw how long the line was to enter the venue. It was fascinating to me to see so many people that were all here for the same artist and who have been touched by his music in some way.
Everyone in the crowd carried positive energy and were talking about what they were most excited for during the show. I was lucky enough to see Rex during the summer at Mo Pop Music Festival in Detroit, so I felt as if I was familiar with his show and set before it had even started. However, during his show in San Diego I felt a whole new aroma and experience.
Once the lights went off and the cheering started, an audio recording from a vintage film began to play. Rex walked out on stage and colorful rainbow lights flashed on, also revealing a backdrop with a picture of a peach. The opening song was nonetheless “Apricot Princess,” which is on my favorite album of his called, “Apricot Princess” as well.
During the middle of the show, Rex decided to switch moods with the audience and play “No One” by the one and only, Alicia Keys. I could not believe how amazing this cover was, especially because he made it sound like his very own version of the song. He played his acoustic guitar throughout the show, including during this song, which gave it a unique twist.
After Rex left the stage to prepare for the encore, the crowd cheered “Rex” as loud as they could, waiting for him to make another appearance. When he came back on stage and the encore had started, Rex told everyone to shout the words to “Loving is Easy” and jump as high as they could throughout the chorus.
The energy during the entire show was through the roof and everyone in the audience left the venue out of breath. The show was an hour and a half, but felt as if I was there for barely an hour. I felt connected with the people around me because we were all bonding over the same music together.
Check out Rex’s website for more on the artist.