{"id":36697,"date":"2015-03-18T09:22:27","date_gmt":"2015-03-18T13:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/?p=36697"},"modified":"2015-03-18T09:23:18","modified_gmt":"2015-03-18T13:23:18","slug":"meghan-trainor-truly-shines-connects-on-that-bass-tour-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/2015\/03\/18\/meghan-trainor-truly-shines-connects-on-that-bass-tour-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Meghan Trainor Truly Shines, Connects on “That Bass Tour” (Review)"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a version of a \u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d review that centers exclusively on Meghan Trainor\u2019s skill as a performer.\u00a0\u00a0It reveals that Trainor\u2019s energy is so infectious that no audience member — whether a pre-teen \u201cMegatron\u201d or a cynical, adult journalist — can resist dancing along.\u00a0\u00a0It reveals that Trainor\u2019s voice cuts more effectively in person than it does on the recording.\u00a0\u00a0It reveals that Trainor\u2019s performance style is tautly constructed but never without soul.<\/p>\n

That review concludes by declaring Trainor\u2019s concert a fun, engaging, high-quality trip through her catalog of irresistible tunes.<\/p>\n

It does not, however, capture the complete essence of the experience.<\/p>\n

What makes \u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d special is the same thing that so easily and powerfully spurred Meghan Trainor\u2019s meteoric rise within the mainstream music world.\u00a0\u00a0It is the singer-songwriter\u2019s unique and meaningful connection with her audience.<\/p>\n

\"Meghan
Meghan Trainor performs at Irving Plaza<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For many artists, the concept of \u201cconnecting\u201d merely refers to a performance technique.\u00a0\u00a0Reduced from a statement of identity into a form of strategy, \u201cconnecting\u201d involves consciously playing to the crowd and pandering to its sensibility.\u00a0\u00a0It allows the performer to signal her awareness of and appreciation for the audience, but it does not establish a legitimate closeness.\u00a0\u00a0It is a mirage.<\/p>\n

Not for Meghan Trainor.\u00a0 Guided by whom she is rather than by whom she feels she needs to be, Trainor projects an undeniable and unwavering sense of sincerity.<\/p>\n

As a result, no wall separates Trainor from her passionate, enthusiastic contingent of fans.\u00a0 From the moment she takes the stage with \u201cDear Future Husband\u201d to the moment she exits with \u201cAll About That Bass,\u201d the 21-year-old singer-songwriter is an open, honest, accessible book.<\/p>\n

Refreshingly real and without any hint of condescension or pretentiousness, Trainor gives her audience ample reason to trust every lyric, accept every verbal aside and believe every dance move.\u00a0 They know they are seeing a true<\/em> person rather than a boardroom construction or disconnected celebrity.<\/p>\n

When she launched \u201cAll About That Bass,\u201d Trainor was not a prototypical pop star imposing a hollow message of empowerment onto the general public.\u00a0 She, as one of the countless individuals actually deemed conventionally imperfect, was flipping the script and declaring that her supposed imperfections are actually advantages.\u00a0 She ain\u2019t no size two, but that\u2019s okay, because boys like<\/em> a little more booty to hold at night.\u00a0 An ambassador for the underdog, she was leading by example rather than by empty declaration.<\/p>\n

Extraordinarily talented, the Trainor of \u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d is still the same ordinary girl whose songs have empowered so many girls, boys, women and men to take pride in who they are and how they look because<\/em> of who they are and how they look.<\/p>\n

Completely one with the crowd, she is singing on behalf of her audience rather than to them.\u00a0 She is dancing with her fans rather than for them.<\/p>\n

Quite literally, in fact.\u00a0 Late in the set, Meghan Trainor shifts the focus from her own music to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars\u2019 \u201cUptown Funk.\u201d\u00a0 Neither an attempt at a vocal cover nor a means of welcoming Mars a special guest, the shift is simply an opportunity for Trainor to dance<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As the audience members see Trainor rock out to the recording (with live accompaniment from her backing band), they see a superstar enjoying \u201cUptown Funk\u201d in the same carefree way they do at parties, in their cars and even in front of their mirrors.\u00a0 They see an artist whose goal is not simply to put on a fun show for a paying crowd but to have her own fun.<\/p>\n

Contagious, that sense of fun keeps the audience engaged for the duration of Trainor\u2019s \u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d set.<\/p>\n

Singles \u201cDear Future Husband,\u201d \u201cLips are Movin” and \u201cAll About That Bass\u201d have the crowd furiously dancing and singing from start to finish.\u00a0 Energetic album track \u201cBang Dem Sticks\u201d works the crowd into a frenzy that reaches its apex when Trainor\u2019s drummer, naturally, bangs his drum sticks in a brief, yet hard-hitting solo.<\/p>\n

The content of \u201c3am\u201d and \u201cWalkashame\u201d might not be immensely relatable to the younger portion of Trainor\u2019s fanbase, but one would have no idea based on the excitement that fills the entirety of the venue.\u00a0 Fan favorites \u201cClose Your Eyes,\u201d \u201cLike I\u2019m Gonna Lose You,\u201d “Credit” and \u201cTitle\u201d (performed on her ukulele with modest accompaniment) demonstrate the admirable diversity of her catalog and the undeniable breadth of her appeal.\u00a0 Those in attendance are not simply \u201cAll About That Bass\u201d — they are all about Meghan Trainor.<\/p>\n

Songs like \u201cNo Good For You\u201d and \u201cMy Selfish Heart\u201d are neither standouts of the album nor the live show, but their strategic placement within the set assures they do not eradicate any momentum.\u00a0 And insofar as Trainor is wholeheartedly committed to each number, the songs that are weak by comparison still come across as objectively impressive.<\/p>\n

While music — and Trainor\u2019s commitment to that music — makes \u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d more than worth the price of admission, Trainor\u2019s hourlong show is a complete one.\u00a0 In addition to the aforementioned dance break, Trainor introduces her numbers with enough insight to provide context, establish familiarity and build an audience rapport but not so much that she risks tempering the music-loving crowd\u2019s enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

A highlight of the gig, meanwhile, comes at the midway point.\u00a0 Passionate about her fans, obsessed with fun and fluent in social media speak, Trainor introduces a lucky audience member as her \u201cqueen\u201d for the evening (Bella, a young female fan, was crowned queen at Trainor\u2019s March 15 show at New York\u2019s Irving Plaza).<\/p>\n

An infinitely endearing moment, the \u201cceremony\u201d involves an affable Trainor fashioning her queen with a light-up crown and then leading the fan in a brief, on-stage dance routine.\u00a0 Not at all faked or mechanical — even though Trainor crowns a queen at each show — the bit warms the hearts of the audience as it makes the lucky queen\u2019s night.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d is not without fodder for cynics and skeptics.\u00a0 Trainor\u2019s set includes a few minor instrumental shifts and vocal ad libs, but the key songs are generally performed as they are on the record.\u00a0 Her choreography might not reek of lifeless rigidity, but it is still very mechanical and neatly conceived.\u00a0 The show, ultimately, is a very safe, mainstream and innocuous one.<\/p>\n

But it is for those very reasons that Trainor\u2019s sincere artistry and immense relatability mean more to the success than her undeniably strong performance mechanics.\u00a0 \u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d does not provide Trainor with unlimited room to work, but her personality that is simultaneously larger-than-life and down-to-earth never fails to shine through.\u00a0 Her belief in her music never fails to shine through.\u00a0 Her wholehearted stylistic commitment to retro and contemporary pop — which draws from other influences but never feels derivative — never fails to shine through.\u00a0 Her authenticity never fails to shine through.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d is very much a mainstream pop concert, and Meghan Trainor very much possesses the skillset of a mainstream pop star.\u00a0 But the unmissable handprint she leaves on every piece of the final product and undeniable audience rapport she cultivates at every moment of the journey combine to create a truly unique and memorable experience.\u00a0 They combine to create a Meghan Trainor concert that is as fresh, distinct and resonant as Meghan Trainor\u2019s music.<\/p>\n

Trainor\u2019s \u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d concludes in Nashville this weekend, but her attention will soon shift to the upcoming \u201cM Train Tour.\u201d\u00a0 If the impressive \u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d show represents a starting point for the improved experience the ambitious Trainor wants to create on the \u201cM Train Tour,\u201d fans should make concrete plans to go.\u00a0 It will likely be can\u2019t miss.<\/p>\n

That Bass Tour \u2013 Set List
\nMarch 15 \u2013 Irving Plaza \u2013 New York, NY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear Future Husband
\nMr. Almost
\nCredit
\nNo Good for You
\nTitle
\nWalkashame
\nClose Your Eyes
\n3am
\nLike I\u2019m Gonna Lose You
\nBang Dem Sticks
\nUptown Funk (Dance break)
\nMy Selfish Heart
\nLips are Movin<\/p>\n

ENCORE
\nWhat if I
\nAll About That Bass<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[1047],"tags":[2475,2474,3824],"adace-sponsor":[],"yoast_head":"\nMeghan Trainor Truly Shines, Connects on "That Bass Tour" (Review)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There is a version of a \u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d review that centers exclusively on Meghan Trainor\u2019s skill as a performer.\u00a0\u00a0It reveals that Trainor\u2019s energy is so\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/2015\/03\/18\/meghan-trainor-truly-shines-connects-on-that-bass-tour-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meghan Trainor Truly Shines, Connects on "That Bass Tour" (Review)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There is a version of a \u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d review that centers exclusively on Meghan Trainor\u2019s skill as a performer.\u00a0\u00a0It reveals that Trainor\u2019s energy is so\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/2015\/03\/18\/meghan-trainor-truly-shines-connects-on-that-bass-tour-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Headline Planet\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-03-18T13:22:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-03-18T13:23:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Meghan-Trainor-Title-Cover-e1419574650855.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1222\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brian Cantor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cantorpedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@headlineplanet\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/2015\/03\/18\/meghan-trainor-truly-shines-connects-on-that-bass-tour-review\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/2015\/03\/18\/meghan-trainor-truly-shines-connects-on-that-bass-tour-review\/\",\"name\":\"Meghan Trainor Truly Shines, Connects on \\\"That Bass Tour\\\" (Review)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-03-18T13:22:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-03-18T13:23:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/#\/schema\/person\/b530255b81ceb7463ea060a9b8a302c8\"},\"description\":\"There is a version of a \u201cThat Bass Tour\u201d review that centers exclusively on Meghan Trainor\u2019s skill as a performer.\u00a0\u00a0It reveals that Trainor\u2019s energy is so\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/2015\/03\/18\/meghan-trainor-truly-shines-connects-on-that-bass-tour-review\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/\",\"name\":\"Headline Planet\",\"description\":\"Music News & Charts, TV News & Spoilers\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/#\/schema\/person\/b530255b81ceb7463ea060a9b8a302c8\",\"name\":\"Brian Cantor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/headlineplanet.com\/home\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5726265e0532f231e46bbddd41009383?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5726265e0532f231e46bbddd41009383?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Brian Cantor\"},\"description\":\"Brian Cantor is the editor-in-chief for Headline Planet. 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