The Wiltern Theatre Beverly Hills, CA
Contact: Jon Bleicher - Prospect PR, [email protected]
Web: casey-baer.com
Players: Casey Baer, vocals; Gray Trainer, guitar; Shep Martin, drums
Material: Covering tracks from her 2022 album, Not That Girl—as well as a sneak-peak of an unreleased new single (“The Meeting”), and a cover of Tate McRae’s “She’s All I Wanna Be”—Casey Baer played to a bubbly, youthful crowd at the last of her tour stops in Los Angeles. With lyrics around love, identity, the strength of a woman (and navigating your own moral compass), Baer shifts between a pop dynamo and a dark rocker with an energetic, confident performance—and no shortage of fan interaction.
Musicianship: With a driving drum push and flying guitar riffs injected into the show (alongside polished backing tracks to fill out the sound), the trio of musicians delivers a cohesive, comfortable exchange, with Baer demonstrating a strong understanding of, and dedication to, her instrument through her great breath control and vibrato, and beautiful melody lines. While there were a few shakey moments in the lower register, her octave leaps and head voice, vocal projection and melismatic decoration come across effortlessly.
Performance: With the drummer and guitarist jumpstart, Baer launched onto the stage to break-up song “Take It Personal”—in Avril Lavigne-esque stage style—the crowd roaring on the sharp cutoff ending. “Not That Girl” continued as a shoutout to women standing their ground in relationships (with the crowd echoing the “not that girl” section), and “Never Have I Ever” presented a gentler guitar intro with a melancholy theme centered around the end of a relationship. The crowd jumped right in, swaying along with mobile phone flashlights in the air.
Summary: Finishing the night with an ode to singledom, “R.I.P.” highlighted Baer’s unfiltered and conversational style. Speaking to her audience throughout the set, Baer appears naturally charismatic and has a very theatrical stage persona. Her danceable pop tracks reel in the attention of her fans and keep them connected to her storytelling, while the lighthearted ease between the group on stage make for a collaborative production. Casey Baer delivers an engaging, dynamic collection of journal-entry stories and presents a lively, upbeat evening of music; perfect for the young, raving pop fan.
