Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn, NY — March 19, 2025

The Sugar Water Tour was a dreamlike pop haven, transcending the typical concert experience. On Wednesday night at Brooklyn Steel, the headliner Maude Latour and opener MARIS delivered electrifying performances, meshing elements of spectacle and intimacy.

Saturated in color, energy, and raw emotion, this performance was a testament to the sheer joy that emanates pop performances. MARIS opened the night fitted in an astronaut suit, a rather perfect metaphor for the space she was about to take up on stage. Her performance was bold, unbound, and utterly magnetic. As the set unfolded, she stripped back not only her oversized attire to reveal blue velvet mini shorts but also any emotional barriers. Immediately, the crowd was unveiled into her world of romance, insecurity, and unfiltered chaos. Her performance was a riot of playfulness and raw emotion. One moment, she was thrashing on a tiny inflatable guitar before sinking her teeth into it; the next, she was laying herself bare in a moment of pure vulnerability, tightly winding the crowd into her universe. Her latest release, “Give Me A Sign,” sent an electric charge through the venue, her movements wild and uninhibited as she twirled across the stage. There was never a moment that suggested she was merely the opener; MARIS commanded the stage like a headliner in her own right, leaving the audience elated.

With the crowd now primed, the anticipation for Maude Latour was palpable. Bubbles drifted overhead, ambient lighting illuminated the front row, and the first screams rang out before she even set foot on stage. Then, in a blur of movement and contagious joy, she appeared beaming, dancing, and instantly infecting the room with her presence. From soaking her fans with her water gun, to a cheer routine with pompoms during “Too Slow,” Maude’s performance was the pop perfection that crowds yearn for. A unanimous sway between euphoric and deeply nostalgic, with moments of unfiltered emotion punctuating the night. During “Comedown,” a song rooted in the pulse of New York itself, the venue softened. Couples clutched each other, best friends swayed in reverence, and strangers shared knowing glances, bound by the music Then, in a moment of pure connection, Maude hopped the photo pit, wandering into the soul of the venue. From the center of the crowd, she became engulfed in a sea of hands reaching toward the sky. For one song, everyone basked in her warmth, their hands like golden rays. Both artists managed to lace together performances that were equal parts intimate and explosive, seamlessly blending uninhibited dance with moments of heartfelt vulnerability and limitless vocals. The Sugar Water Tour isn’t just a concert, it’s a fever dream of pop magic.

MARIS

MAUDE LATOUR

Words & Photography: ​Sam Ferguson