Last Night: Backstage with Boyfriend

Go behind the scenes of Boyfriend's performance Tuesday night at the House of Blues.

Last night, Big Freedia, Boyfriend, and Seattle's Hibou kicked off a five-week tour at the House of Blues. Hibou's '80s airy, British post-punk influenced rock showed predictably more muscle than the band does on its recordings, and Freedia has learned how to make a bounce show last more than 20 minutes without seeming redundant--something that had to happen for bounce to have legs outside of New Orleans. 

Boyfriend's sex-positive lyrical stance is complicated on stage by her poker face, which sometimes causes doubt as to how positive some of the sex is. Her deliberate blankness also left a crowd that was clearly on her side looking for a way to jump in and join the fun while respecting her tone. She asked the audience "What does love mean to you, New Orleans?" at the start of the show, but it wasn't until "Man Cheatin" and its shout-along answer "HELL NO!" that the crowd had a red-blooded answer. After that, the sentiment of the chorus "Like My Hand Did" kept the fired up and singing along outrageously in some cases, sheepishly in others.

During Boyfriend's set, My Spilt Milk went backstage to shoot 360-degree photos to let you see what the show looks like from the other side. You can mouse around these photos to see the view from the back corner of the stage. For more 360-degree photos, see our recent coverage of Wilco at the Orpheum.