It has been long-awaited for the 71ØS (a.k.a. Lios) tour to hit Los Angeles. I counted daily for the tour, and I can proudly say it was 100% worth it.
On October 12, 2023, one of my favorite artists, Tom The Mail Man, had a concert at the Troubadour in LA. Tom The Mail Man is an underground alternative songwriter and rapper who created the hit song “My Storm.” Tom The Mail Man has been making music since 2018 and just recently dropped a new album called “71ØS” or Lios (pronounced as “leos”), which was the main album for the tour.
I was lucky enough to meet him just before the doors opened and gave him a gift (a 3D printed purple and orange dragon and a black Tanjiro’s Kagura Katana from “Demon Slayer”). Sadly, he was busy, and we couldn’t talk for long, but seeing and hugging him before the show was the best thing to happen that day. After that, I waited in line, ready for the doors to open.
Once the doors had opened, everyone flooded in and found a spot close to the stage. The building was full but not too full to where everyone was squished together. Once everyone was inside and settled, the concert started, and the opener, TITUS, went on stage and sang his most popular songs like “HURT” and “RAIN”. I was a little nervous initially since I hadn’t heard his songs before and was afraid I wouldn’t like them, but little did I know I would fall in love with them. Not long after, TITUS’s performance had ended, and the crew was setting up for Tom The Mail Man to perform.
After a 30-minute intermission, Tom The Mail Man had finally got on stage. The crowd went crazy once he got on stage. He spoke to the crowd and hyped them up in preparation for the opening song. Once the music had started, everyone knew exactly what song was playing, and it was “Come Over.” The song “Come Over” is one of my favorites, so to open with that song was perfect.
During his performance, he was connecting and communicating with the crowd. He sang with others and even recorded a video for someone. We all felt more connected with Tom when he came off the stage and sat on the floor as we sang “Brown Eyes and Backwoods”. We swayed side to side and sang our hearts out to that song while Tom was there with us. It was an experience never to forget.
As the concert was ending, Tom had one more group activity to participate in, and it was a competition. Tom had split the room in half and had the 2 sides go against each other to see which side could win a prize. After both sides sang their heart out to “Direct Me” Tom had chosen the winner: the right side. Once he said the winner, he tossed some merch into the crowd for anyone to get. After that, Tom sang an unreleased song and “Last Night” while joining the crowd and dancing with us. It was getting very close to the end of the show, so Tom let us choose 3 more songs. The crowd had agreed upon “Traveling Alone,” “Till We’re Old”, and “My Storm.” Once he sang those songs, he ended with a fantastic closing song of “Heavens Waters”. Tom stated that “Heavens Waters” was one of his favorite songs from the new album and meant a lot to him, so to close with that song was a different experience.
After the concert, Tom headed to the merch table to have one-on-one conversations with everyone who came and signed different things. When my turn came, I had Tom sign my shoe, phone, and the merchandise I bought. I even got to hug him again and talk to him as if he didn’t just perform as a slightly famous artist.
Overall, the concert was an amazing experience, especially since he interacted with the crowd. It was a night I will never forget and a time I wish to relive. Everyone who went was friendly and overall very considerate. Out of the whole show, my favorite part has to be when Tom sat in the crowd with us. It really shows how much he loves his fans.
