Tori Amos @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY

Tori Amos | Photos courtesy of: Emily May

Beloved singer/songwriter/pianist/composer Tori Amos brought her In Times Of Dragons US Tour to The Louisville Palace on August 10th to a (what appeared to be) nearly sold-out crowd, touring in support of her recently released 18th studio album In Times Of Dragons. Seeing a long line of fans excitedly waiting outside for the doors to open this evening let me know I was in for a fun night! As the lights dimmed, alerting the crowd that Tori’s set was about to start, the crowd, restless for her to come out, celebrated in a roar of cheers and applause. Tori came out onto the stage, hands clasped and bowing to her fans, before sitting down on her piano bench. She sat with her piano in front of her and an electric keyboard behind her, switching between the two at several points throughout the evening. Early in the set, she let it be known that it was her longtime touring bassist Jon Evan’s birthday, which earned him cheers and applause from the crowd! She also has three backup singers with her on this tour, creating some beautiful harmonies!

Although many artists tour with the same set list every night, Tori plays a different one each night, leaving the fans to anticipate what she might play! No matter what the set list is, though, you can be guaranteed an incredible live experience. She plays the piano and sings like the musical prodigy that she is, with her set this evening being nothing short of mesmerising. Starting out the set with “Fire To Your Plain”, she and her band performed several songs this evening from the new album, including “Shush”, “Stronger Together”, and “In Times of Dragons”. Much to the crowd’s delight, she also performed some of her cherished classics, including “Winter” (I got a little teary-eyed hearing this live, as it’s always been one of my favorites), “Silent All These Years”, and “Precious Things”, with “Precious Things” signalling the end of the pre-encore set.

After briefly leaving the stage, Tori and her band came back out for their encore to a roar of applause! Starting the set off with “Cornflake Girl”, there was a brief pause in music for a birthday cake to be brought out for Jon Evans, with Tori leading the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday To You”. They then performed a cover of Solomon Linda’s original Evening Bird’s cover of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (the first time she’s played it live since 2014) and brought the evening to a close with “Pretty Good Year”. The evening was magical and full of a beautiful energy from the crowd, who clearly adore Tori and were having the best time hearing her perform. As a side note, whoever did Tori’s lighting deserves an award! It was stunning through her entire set, bathing her and her band in a kaleidoscope of colors. Baltimore indie-rock artist Bartees Strange opened the show this evening. Despite some early technical difficulties, he and the crowd took it all in stride, and he performed a great set that got the crowd warmed up for the evening.

Bartees Strange

Puscifer @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY

April 21st, 2026: Puscifer, Dave Hill @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY

Puscifer | Photo Courtesy of: Emily May

Puscifer, the Los Angeles rock band led by Maynard James Keenan (Tool/A Perfect Circle) and which features long-time collaborators Carina Round and Mat Mitchell, brought their Normal Isn’t Tour to The Louisville Palace on April 21st, with comedian/actor/musician Dave Hill opening the show. The project is considered by Keenan be his creative subconscious, with each tour allowing the fans to dive into the world he creates with each album. This tour celebrates the band’s latest album Normal Isn’t, which was released on Februaury 6th. The album sees Keenan appear as his goth alter ego Bellendia Black and Round as Fannie Grey, with both performing in their costumes and make-up and playing out a tension between the two on stage, with each of them mid-set shooting at each other with toy guns. There were a few moments like this throughout the set, with Keenan and Round engaging in humorous antics, with the crowd loving every moment. The very start of the set saw a video play with Keenan and Round, acting as their alter-egos, telling the crowd to keep their phones put away and that taking photos or video was strictly prohibited. In a bit of cheeky humor, with which the fans were good sports about, they asked the crowd three times to repeat “We understand” in response to the rule. And from what I could tell, no one violated the rule throughout the evening. It’s a rare occurance, but a refreshing one, to attend a concert where no one has their phones out and are fully engaged with the performance!

The stage was set up with two platforms at the back, one on each side, and a set of stairs running down the middle, allowing Round and Kennan to alternate between standing on the platforms and moving about the front of the stage. The lighting was really nice, with the different colors and tones almost matching the tension of the performance. Sometimes the lighting was deeper and had harsher tones and sometimes it was a bit brighter or softer. Throughout the set, the screen behind the stage was lit up with different colorful representations of the Puscifer logo, as well as a pre-recorded video skit which played into the theme and alter-egos of the tour. It also alerted the crowd when it was time for a brief intermission. The extensive 18-song set was heavy on songs from the new album, as well as some older favorites such as “Bullet Train to Iowa”, “The Arsonist”, “Conditions Of My Parole”, “Momma Sed”. The band ended the night with “A Public Stoning”, which saw Dave Hill return to the stage to join in. Puscifer always puts on a great show with an incredible and creative stage production, giving their fans an experience they won’t soon forget! And what an experience it is, getting to take a dive into Keenan’s creative subconscious for a bit!

Dave Hill

Jesse McCartney @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville

October 10th 2025: Jesse McCartney, Ana Sky @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY

Jesse McCartney | Photos Courtesy of: Asia Austin

On Friday, October 10, 2025, pop icon Jesse McCartney took the stage by storm at the Louisville Palace. It’s not every day that an artist from the early 2000s walks on stage and immediately reminds a crowd exactly why they fell in love with him in the first place. But Jesse McCartney’s ‘Weightless Tour’ does just that, leaving everyone with lots of nostalgic memories. The night was a seamless blend of both old hits, including crowd favorites such as “Beautiful Soul”, “How Do You Sleep”, and “Leavin”, as well as newer songs from his Weightless EP. 

McCartney, now a seasoned performer, brought warmth, lots of charisma, and vocal precision to every single song while managing to balance his boy-band-era charm with a more reflective stage presence. With a diverse crowd of longtime fans and younger, newer listeners, it was no secret that Jesse’s legacy has only gotten better with age. In between songs, Jesse spoke candidly about fatherhood, change, and letting go—offering some heartfelt context to the thematic arc. He also took the time to bring a lucky fan on stage to serenade during “Party For Two”. 

This show proved to be a joyful walk down memory lane, leaving fans happy and lighthearted, but also a reminder that Jesse McCartney is here to stay for the long run.

Ana Sky

Lucy Dacus @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville

September 17th, 2025: Lucy Dacus with Slow Pulp @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY

Lucy Dacus | Photos Courtesy of: Emily May

Indie rock singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus brought her Forever Is A Feeling North America Tour to The Louisville Palace on September 17th to a packed venue of fans! Having released her latest album, Forever Is A Feeling, in March of this year, Dacus performed several songs this evening from the new album, including “Ankles”, “Modigliani”, and “Talk”, as well as older tracks, delighting both older and newer fans alike. The stage production and set-up were really nice, with soft lighting and screens at the back of the stage that projected scenes of nature and other soothing scenes, leading to a cosy and intimate experience. Dacus spent time all around the stage, whether interacting with her band, sitting on the platform near the keyboard, or walking along the front of the stage to engage with her fans. She talked early in the set about how much she loved The Louisville Palace Theater and how it reminded her of a theatre she loved in Richmond, VA where she grew up.

One of the funnest parts of the evening came ahead of her performance of “Best Guess”, as she welcomed a couple out on the stage to get married. Dacus, who is ordained to perform weddings, has been marrying couples onstage at each tour stop after inquiring, ahead of the tour, about whether or not people facing barriers to marriage would like to get married on the tour. She called Chloe and Sydney (I hope I got the names right!) to the stage, who had travelled all the way from Colorado Springs, asking them if they had anything they wanted to say about their love for each other and why they wanted to get married, before performing the short ceremony. The couple then danced together as Dacus performed the song, and she then sent them off stage with a red rose, a hug, and well wishes, saying, “May your love last forever!”. It was a beautiful and heartfelt moment!

She later invited her bandmate Dominic Angelella to the couch near the front of the stage to perform “Bullseye" with her, in a very intimate and acoustic performance. She then performed a few more songs, announcing that we were approaching the part of the evening where the show was almost over. Smiling through the echo of boos from the crowd, she said that this is the only time it is ok to get boos from the crowd! She ended her pre-encore set with the title track from the new album. She and her band then performed a 2-song encore, starting out with “True Blue”, a song by Boygenius, the trio she is in with Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers. She ended the evening with “Night Shift” from her 2018 album Historian. Lucy Dacus is an incredible performer with a deep and loyal fan base with whom she shares a deep connection. It was an evening full of fun, intimate moments of love, and great music! Chicago-based indie rock band Slow Pulp opened the show and got the crowd warmed up with their dreamy and raw rock sounds. It was a great night all around!

SLOW PULP

Kehlani @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville

September 23rd, 2024: Kehlani, FLO, Anycia @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY

Kehlani | Photos courtesy of: Emily May

California artist Kehlani brought their Crash Tour to Louisville to a sold-out crowd of adoring fans on September 23rd. Having started their musical career over a decade ago, their music blends pop, soul, R&B, and Hip Hop elements. Being my first Kehlani concert, I wasn’t sure what to expect but was blown away by the whole experience. Mentioning that they hadn’t performed in Louisville since their very first tour, they told the crowd how good it was to be back and how cute and quaint the venue was, saying “I appreciate nights and moments like this. I haven’t played a show like this in a while (a smaller venue). It feels intimate and I can see your faces!”. On the stage this evening, starting at the back centre and going close to the front of the stage was a large staircase, with the stairs being rather wide, which they, their dancers, and bandmates spent time singing, playing instruments, and dancing on. There were tall platforms on each side of the stage, one for their guitarist and keyboard/keytar players and one for their drummer.

As their set began, Kehlani came out at the top of the stairs and spent the first song on the stairs. Starting the set with “Next 2 U”, “Groove Theory”, and “What I Want”, they performed a 31-song set this evening that encompassed older and newer songs. From the second song until the end of the set, each song they performed featured their incredibly talented dancers. Everyone was having fun on stage and Kehlani and their dancers incorporated various moods, from fun and upbeat dancing, with jumps and kicks and hair flips, to more sensual and slower dancing at times. It was a beautiful stage production with the fans dancing and singing along. Right off of the middle part of the stage was a small staircase that allowed Kehlani to go down into the crowd, which they did several times throughout the set, to walk amongst their fans while singing. This had their fans buzzing excitedly, smiling and with their phones out to record and take pictures of the moment. Kehlani and their fans have a mutual love and respect for each other, with fans singing and dancing along all evening, everywhere I looked. There was such a joyous energy in the air. Kehlani and their band gave 100% for all 31 songs and the crowd matched their energy. It was a magical evening of music. Opening the show this evening was British girl group FLO, who was impressed with their matching outfits, coordinated dance moves, and beautiful harmonies, as well as Atlanta ascending rapper Anycia, who got the crowd warmed up and hyped with her sharp beats!

FLO

Anycia

Emo Orchestra @ The Louisvile Palace - Louisville

October 24th, 2023: Emo Orchestra @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY

Emo Orchestra - Photos Courtesy of Emily May

For the Inaugural Emo Orchestra, special guests Hawthorne Heights brought this experience to Louisville recently to a modest but passionate crowd! It’s such a unique experience for those of us who grew up loving emo bands and songs to hear some of our favorites with the backing of a live orchestra in a gorgeous theater setting. Many of the fans had their kids with them, introducing them to much of the emo music they loved growing up. Singer JT Woodruff was all smiles as the performance started, chatting with the crowd before every song to give them the story of what he and his bandmates were going through at the time or their relationship with the band they were covering. Nostalgia can be such a wonderful feeling, with this evening leading many in attendance to re-live their younger days through the music performed. Woodruff said early on that he wanted to try to remind everyone of a time when life was simpler and when we all sat in our rooms and listened to music. He also joked about how performing in a nice, seated, air-conditioned venue was their way of apologizing to their fans for the days when they would have to see Hawthorne Heights in hundred-degree weather at Warped Tour!

Woodruff stated at the start of the set how excited the band was for this evening. He told the crowd how for years the band performed and would stand back at the merch table, listening to their fans tell him about how much their music or other band’s music meant to them. He got to hear what many emo bands and their music meant to the fans, but how this evening (and on the tour in general) we would all get to hear about what these bands and songs mean to him and his band. We would hear about these songs from their perspective. He announced that he and his band had picked a set list where everyone could scream as loud as they could! While Hawthorne Heights performed a few of their songs throughout the evening, such as “Niki FM”, “The Storm”, "Decembers”, and their smash hit “Ohio Is For Lovers”, which they ended the set with, they had a really fun mix of emo songs from a variety of popular bands. Woodruff laughed on a few occasions before a song, stating how the band in question would probably be upset being referred to as an Emo band, or have their song referred to as an emo song, but how just for this evening it would be considered emo!

Starting off the covers with Yellowcard’s “Ocean Avenue”, they got the crowd singing their hearts out in no time. Woodruff is a great storyteller. Before launching into “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” by Fall Out Boy, he told the story of performing with them very early on in a comic book store in Dayton, OH, and how they later got offered to go on tour with Fall Out Boy when they got big. He talked about how when you are in a band, you sometimes start to forget why you do it and stop listening to music as a fan, later realizing that you write and perform music because you love it. They then went on to perform “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World”, “Make Damn Sure” by Taking Back Sunday”, and “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” by Death Cab For Cutie. Woodruff told the crowd how the first out-of-town show the band was ever offered was in Louisville and how they spent a lot of time here as a band, being so close to Dayton, and having fond memories of the city. This evening had a short intermission, with the band finishing the pre-intermission set with “Until The Day I Die” by Story of The Year.

As the second half of the performance began, the band sat this one out as the orchestra performed a great, instrumental rendition of “Welcome To The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance. The screen showed the lyrics to the song, with the crowd being the band for this one and singing along at full volume! The second half of the set included some bangers- “Adam’s Song” by Blink 182, “The Taste of Ink” by The Used, “Misery Business” by Paramore, “Miss Murder” by AFI, and “Hey There Delilah”, by Plain White T’s. Woodruff told the crowd near the end of the set how they always like to do a roll call, announcing the folks on stage and off, who had a part in making the tour happen. Emo Orchestra is such a fun concept and it was obvious that everyone in attendance had a great time singing their way down memory lane! I look forward to seeing how this concept evolves for future tours!

Tori Amos @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville

July 12th 2023: Tori Amos and Tow’rs @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY

Photos Courtesy of Emily May

Musical icon Tori Amos brought her Ocean to Ocean Tour to The Louisville Palace on Wednesday night to a nearly sold-out crowd of fans, many of whom it was clear had been following her music for decades. With many passionate and loyal fans, you could feel the excitement in the air! She walked upon the stage to a roar of applause and cheers, waving and bowing to her fans as she sat at her piano. Starting the set out with “God”, she then performed “Ocean to Ocean”, the title track from her most 2021 album, and the only song is sung from the album this evening. The song saw her play both her piano and keyboard, set up side by side, a hand on each set of keys. The stage was awash throughout her set in beautiful hues of multicolored light, and Amos spoke very little during her set, allowing her music to speak for her. With a different set list each night of the tour, her fans this evening were treated to a 14-song set and a 2-song encore. It is evident, however, that many in attendance would gladly listen to her play for hours and hours.

Performing tracks such as “Beauty Queen”, “Horses”, “Hey Jupiter”, “and Siren”, she performed much of her set with her band mates, bassist Jon Evans and drummer Ash Soan. She did, however, perform 2 solo tracks, “Twinkle” and “Toast”. Having mesmerized the crowd with her beautiful voice and piano playing thus far, she finished her pre-encore set with the crowd's favorite “Cornflake Girl”, with many fans cheering and rising from their seats. As the song concluded, Amos and her bandmates gave a bow and waved to the crowd before briefly exiting the stage. They soon came back out for an encore, performing “Big Wheel” and “The Waitress”. Upon the end of the set, the crowd gave Amos a well-deserved standing ovation. It was a beautiful evening, and with a career spanning over 3 decades, Amos gave both older and newer fans alike an evening to remember! Opening the set this evening was Arizona folk band Tow’rs, known for telling stories through their music. They performed a short but beautiful set of songs, with husband and wife Kyle and Gretta Miller creating beautiful harmonies.

Tow’rs

Billy Porter @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville

May 27th, 2023: Billy Porter @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY

Billy Porter - Photos Courtesy of Emily May

“You have to choose love and you have to keep choosing it every day”. These were the opening words from actor, singer, writer, and director Billy Porter, who brought his Black Mona Lisa Tour Volume One to The Louisville Palace on May 27th for a beautiful evening of music, dancing, and stories, performing hits such as “Love Is On The Way” and “Love Yourself”. In his first-ever career-spanning pop music concert tour, Porter wowed his audience this evening with an amazing full-band performance, multiple costume changes, a powerhouse vocal performance, and a tinge of Broadway. Backed by a video installation, the screen would show video montages and interviews with Billy between costume changes, with him speaking on his role in the Broadway hit Kinky Boots, for which he won a Tony, and the television show Pose, for which he won an Emmy, amongst other important moments in his life and career. Early in the set, with empty seats on the floor near the front, he told the crowd that anyone who wanted to was welcome to come forward and get closer to the stage!

A true performer, Porter walked the stage like a catwalk, encouraging the crowd to dance and let loose and have fun, at one point joking with the crowd about his love for cursing and saying that “I’m 53 so I can say whatever the fuck I want!” and how in Queenglish, “Bitch” is a term of endearment, which earned him plenty of cheers from the crowd. He announced that the Black Mona Lisa Tour is done in honor of his new album, a retrospective of his life and that he would be playing a lot of songs from the album this evening. He sang a song from his first album, saying how it didn’t do too well back then, as the music industry was very homophobic, but oh how times have changed. Showing side-by-side photos of himself then and now, he joked that it’s always crickets when people see early photos! “Yes, that’s me”, he said. A few songs in, in an homage to Kinky Boots, he came out with the red boots he wore in the play and went out into the crowd, much to his fans’ delight.

He talked about how thrilled he was to be on his first rock and roll tour, on a tour bus, and how as a kid he had lots of dreams. One of his dreams was to create a character in a Broadway show and win a Tony Award, which he did. A second dream was to be a film and television star, which he achieved. He then talked about how he wanted to be the male Whitney Houston, and while he has been blessed to play the fairy godmother in the recent adaptation of Cinderella, “There’s only one Whitney Houston and there’s only one Billy Porter, and he’s pretty great too, so maybe I should just focus on being me!”. He went on to say how he hasn’t been touring with his own band in maybe 6-7 years and in nearing the end of this tour, he was so grateful to all of the audiences who have come out to his shows and who have all graciously welcomed him back. “I love ya’ll!”.

He then sang an incredible cover of “Stop Children What’s That Sound”, followed by a message for the audience, his message of hope. “It’s time for the people to rise up and take our humanity back! I’m told not to be so political, that I scare people, but fuck that! Ya’ll better pay attention. Kids can’t go to school or concerts, Breonna Taylor was killed without any investigation. Be not deceived. This isn’t new. 81 million people didn’t vote-are you kidding me? But ya’ll want to complain that we don’t have rights. We need to stay engaged. Ya’ll come to see Billy Porter and I have things to say and I’ll never stop speaking out!”. He talked about growing up Pentecostal and how he has since left organized religion but how in the church they used to talk about surrender. It doesn’t mean giving up or giving in, but rather being present for what is right now, in this moment. “I am grateful to have lived long enough to be present for this day.” He then performed his newest single “Fashion”, which had everyone on their feet!

He then pulled several audience members onto the stage, pairing them into teams of two for a series of “walk-offs”. He and his roadie Blake then demonstrated. He then joked “Oh lord! They get up on stage and do whatever they want!”. Towards the end of the set he introduced and thanked his band and all of the fans who came out, saying he was nervous at the start of the tour that no one would show up. He also thanked his crew, as well as the crew at the venue for all of their hard work loading in and out. He then performed “For What It’s Worth. “Thank you Louisville! I love you so much!”. Leaving the stage for a bit, he came back out in a silver sparkly suit for an upbeat encore. Billy Porter gave his fans a great night of music and performance! It was a night none of us will forget!