Oct 7, 2026
·Sowmya Krishnamurthy
Welcome to SeatGeek Front Row, where music writers share their tips for attending the biggest concert tours around the country. For this edition, longtime NYC music journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy breaks down what it’s really like to see beabadoobee's "Powerlines" Tour in person, from the setlist to the exact time beabadoobee comes on and even the merch situation.
beabadoobee has no idea how she got here. By here, she means Madison Square Garden. The home of the New York Knicks and Rangers, 140 concerts by Billy Joel, and Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding is known as the “World’s Most Famous Arena”. Regardless of an artist’s origin story or genre, there’s something special about playing this stage. At one point the Filipino-British singer summed it up: "This is a bit much. This is a bit crazy… What the fuck?!"
The 26-year-old (born Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus) is still in shock over her cult fame. Following years of independent releases, she went viral on TikTok after Canadian rapper Powfu sampled her first song “Coffee” on his “Death Bed (Coffee For Your Head)” in 2020. That same year, she released her debut album Fake It Flowers.
The Powerlines tour supports beabadoobee’s latest album, Pylon, with a 34-city run through North America, Europe, and Australia.
Here’s how the New York City show went down, and what you need to know for future concerts.
What beabadoobee’s Powerlines concert is actually like
beabadoobee can’t be put into a box. She’s known for her shoegaze style of ethereal vocals, distorted instrumentation, and lush soundscapes perfect for TikTok. Gen-Z fans gravitate towards her sincere, nerdy, and eclectic artistry. However, Pylon is filled with rock, punk, and alternative inspirations. It’s during these moments that beabadoobee lets her band (consisting of guitar, bass, percussion, and keys) show off their formidable chops with solos and shredding on songs like “Powerlines” and “Sun Has Set”.
Meanwhile, beabadoobee serves up more tender and dreamy fare on songs like “Glue Song” and “the way things go” as she performs with her acoustic guitar. It’s a mix of old and new.
As she said at one point, "Thank you for accepting both sides of my music. One where a pylon blows up and one where I'm wearing cat ears.”
What time did beabadoobee start? Who opened?
The show started at 8:00 p.m. with singer-songwriter Wisp. The opener’s set lasted around 30 minutes and was unfortunately plagued by audio issues. Her vocals sounded nice, but they were often indistinguishable and washed out by the backing band or distortion. Her feathered gown and bird-encrusted microphone were nice touches.
Following a short break, beabadoobee went on at exactly 9:00 p.m. The singer played a lengthy set that ended around 10:40 p.m. She performed 25 songs and finished with an encore of three songs, closing with the fan favorite “Beaches”.
Her audio was better than the opener but not perfect. It’s important to remember that multi-purpose venues, especially of this size, are known to have sound issues.
From the 100 section, it took about 15 minutes to exit Madison Square Garden. This was delayed a bit due to broken escalators. I was outside of the venue by 10:54 p.m.
What songs did beabadoobee perform? What was the setlist?
For those that know beabadoobee from her viral songs, it’s worth listening to Pylon in advance. Nearly every song on the album was performed. She has been performing two unreleased songs, “The Road” and “Lemon to My Lime”, on this tour as well.
Tracklist
Sun Has Set
10:36
Apple Cider
Radio
All I Did Was Dream of You
Take a Bite
Care
Coffee
Pylon
Pictures of Us
The Road (Unreleased)
Memories
Glue Song
The Perfect Pair
Powerlines
Nothing to Prove
Write Me a Letter
Satellite
Post
It’s Alright
Talk
Switchblade
She Plays Bass
Cologne
In Motion
Encore
The way things go
Lemon to My Lime (Unreleased)
Beaches
What did the stage and production look like?
The Pylon album inspired the stage and production quite literally. The centerpiece on stage was a pylon, a large tower, with illuminated powerlines emanating from various angles. And during the song “Powerlines,” she climbed atop the massive structure and performed from up above.
There was also a hat tip to Americana with visuals of vast highways, small towns, and expansive skies. The lighting was impressive, changing from orange sparklers, a lightning storm, washes of crimson, and something akin to the northern lights.
beabadoobee wore a black jumpsuit and utility belt and appeared to be drawing inspiration from the character of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. She did not change outfits during the show—she removed her jacket after the first song—but did swap out guitars five times, including a black electric guitar emblazoned with Hello Kitty.
Does beabadoobee interact with fans during her shows?
There was very little fan interaction, but later in the show, the singer admitted to being nervous. "F--- me, it's pretty wicked… I'm sorry if I'm messing up,” she said nearing the end of her set. “I'm still terrified. But it's epic and I'm having a really good time up here.”
Because beabadoobee gained her fan base online, her audience feels like they are a part of her journey. They didn’t mind mistakes and cheered her on throughout the show.
What were fans wearing?
The audience was mostly Gen Z and young women outnumbering men. There were many impromptu but posed photoshoots throughout the venue; in the seats, hallways, and lines.
The fashion was casual—flannel, hoodies, barrel leg jeans, leather jackets—but some fans did dress up in knee-high boots or miniskirts. I saw several parents in the audience, who were dressed casually. Notably, the mom next to me wore flared leather pants for the occasion.
I’d wager that this was the first concert experience for many of the fans. I overheard one teenager tell his friend that this was the best show he’s ever witnessed. “Bro, I'm breathing the same air as beabadoobee. It's a spiritual connection!”
What does beabadoobee’s tour merch look like?
There were T-shirts, baseball caps, hoodies, and vinyl available to purchase. The line was long and prices varied: hats ($40-$45), crop top ($40), hoodie ($100), t-shirts ($40), and vinyl ($40).
An alternative was to order merch through a special location-gated website. This was accessible by clicking on a QR code that flashed on the big screens before the show. Orders placed would be shipped directly to fans.
For those going this route, make sure to give your browser location access in advance, because I had trouble getting into the online store.
Is the show family-friendly?
The show is very family-friendly, and several parents were in attendance chaperoning their children.
What attending a beabadoobee concert at Madison Square Garden was like
Attending any event at Madison Square Garden is an event. The entrance is on 7th Avenue and requires dodging crowds from Penn Station, Universal Music Group, tourists, and the general car, bike, and pedestrian chaos of New York City. It’s easy to get pushed around or lost, so make sure to walk fast and act like you know where you’re going.
The crowd was split by General Admission, which was standing room and closest to the stage, and traditional arena seating. Photos for this article are from the 100 section, with a seat at the center and front row of the section.
At a venue this big, don’t expect to see the artist on stage very well. Most everyone outside of the General Admission section relies on the big screens on either side of the stage.
How should I get to Madison Square Garden?
The subway is the absolute best way to get to Madison Square Garden. Penn Station is home to the A, C, and E subways. The PATH trains to/from New Jersey are located nearby at 33rd and 6th Avenue. And the Moynihan Train Station, which is on 8th Avenue, has Amtrak.
I made the mistake of taking an Uber to the venue. Despite the short distance, the traffic and general congestion of the surrounding area nearly doubled the time to get there.
If necessary, yellow taxis are available outside 8th Avenue after the show. They are comparable to rideshare services in price and easy to access.
How can I get tickets for an upcoming beabadoobee concert on SeatGeek?
Go over to beabadoobee’s artist page on SeatGeek and put in your location to see if there are any upcoming shows near you. Once you’ve found a show date, pick how many tickets you’re looking to buy and choose a seat using the interactive venue map.
Although the Powerlines tour was advertised as sold out, I found last-minute tickets on the site. So make sure to check even if your date is sold out.
📁 Categories: Concerts, Front Row
🏷️ Tags: beabadoobee, The Powerlines Tour, Wisp, Madison Square Garden, New York City