Halsey Goes Back to the Badlands in Boston

Halsey returned to the Badlands on her second tour of the year. After navigating multiple health challenges in recent years and releasing her genre-bending fusion opus The Great Impersonator, the singer-songwriter brought her electrifying live show to Boston’s MGM Music Hall. In front of a sold-out crowd, the New Jersey–born artist dazzled — reigniting that quintessential Tumblr-era feeling in all of us.

I first discovered Halsey in middle school. I don’t even remember how, exactly — but I stumbled upon Badlands and became completely obsessed. I was captivated by her voice, by the soft pastel aesthetic of the album itself, by the way the songs felt cinematic yet deeply personal. Badlands was the record that showed me my taste could be multi-faceted — that pop could live alongside indie and emo, and still feel cohesive.

Since then, I’ve watched Halsey evolve through five albums, each one pushing her artistry further. She’s a phenomenal performer, commanding every stage with raw emotion and creative precision. The fact that I found myself eager to see her again after attending this summer’s For My Last Trick tour says everything — Halsey continues to deliver one of the most dynamic and transportive live shows in music today. 

Without any opening acts, Halsey was the undisputed main event of the night. Compared to For My Last Trick, this tour’s stage setup was more stripped-down but no less striking. A massive screen behind the band projected shifting desert landscapes and anime-style portraits of Halsey and her musicians, while a raised platform held the band in a minimalist tableau. The simplicity of the staging let Halsey herself take center stage — a reminder that her presence alone is spectacular enough.

On stage wearing a light blue wig, pale blue eyeshadow, a cropped T-shirt, and baggy jeans, Halsey ripped through the opening trio — “Gasoline,” “Drive,” and “Control.” Rather than performing Badlands front to back, she reimagined the record’s spirit by interspersing it with songs from her other sonically diverse eras.

Tracks like “Bells in Santa Fe,” “The Lighthouse,” fan-favorite “Nightmare,” and “People disappear here” from 2021’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power showcased a darker, punk-edged side of the singer. From 2020’s Manic came the introspective “Ashley,” the country-infused breakup anthem “You should be sad,” and her chart-topping single “Without Me,” which catapulted her into mainstream pop fame.

Selections from The Great Impersonator revealed Halsey’s continued shift toward a rock-driven sound. “Ego” found her playing guitar alongside her band, while the sultry “Dog Years” cast a spell over the crowd. “Lonely is the Muse,” an early-2000s hard-rock homage reminiscent of Evanescence, stood out as one of the night’s vocal highlights — a showcase of Halsey’s range and power. From 2017’s Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, she revisited fan favorites “Bad at Love” and “Devil in Me,” bridging her storytelling past with her ever-evolving present.

Fans were treated  to hear the cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line” from the Badlands album, as well as previously unreleased songs like “Garden”, “Trouble” and “Is There Somewhere” from the Room 93 era. The three aforementioned tracks finally came to streaming this year when Halsey rereleased Badlands for its ten year anniversary. “Is There Somewhere” is also among my favorite songs so hearing this one live felt really special. Among the highlights of Halsey’s set is her now-signature pop-punk take on The Chainsmokers’ “Closer,” paired with a sleek performance of her collaboration with Norwegian producer Lido, “Tokyo Narita (Freestyle).”

The first time I saw Halsey live was this summer at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts—an outdoor amphitheater known for its elaborate sets and striking visuals. Seeing her again in a more intimate venue, especially while standing on the floor among just a few hundred people, felt like such a treat. It was also my first concert since undergoing emergency surgery a few weeks ago, and I felt incredibly lucky to be there.