FLETCHER - THE ANTIDOTE: FLETCHER LIVE (2024) Hi-Res

A true pop star of the modern era, (one that couldn’t have truly existed prior to this age), Fletcher is what queer kids concocted in their heads as a fictitious dream a few decades ago. A mix of pop-rock and poignant lyrics, the New Jersey–born singer doesn’t care about the fact that she sings about women; she just happens to.

“I wish when I was a 16-year-old girl that I had a video like that to watch to see that it’s super normal, and two girls that are into each other and falling in love and having an incredible time is not some huge, dramatic, overly sexualized, weird thing,” Fletcher said in an interview with Billboard. “It’s just life and it’s cool and it’s normal. That’s what it should be, because that’s what love is — it’s between two human beings. I think it’s important for people to be able to see that. I wish that had been around more for me.”

Fletcher’s most recent In Search of the Antidote Tour was a perfect example of what she preaches. It was my first time seeing her live, and the Greek Theatre in L.A. was set up perfectly for her music; a raised platform right in the middle for her to stand on, a bandmate on each side of her, and her drummer going ham directly behind. She flipped her hair and danced, starting off the night with the upbeat “Maybe I Am.” Footage of a road from a driver’s point of view played behind her, referencing the lyrics “Flyin’ down the interstate / It’s hard to see the road in front of all these tears.” The words played behind her for most of her songs and the audience chanted along, as she belted, “You say that I’m a crazy bitch / I’m sick; I’m permanently numb / You say that I’m a narcissist as if I haven’t heard that one / You say I’m ruining my life on purpose, just because I can … maybe I am.”

She played a mix of new music and old, with cuts off her most recent record In Search of the Antidote such as “Attached to You,” “Pretending,” and “Ego Talking,” as well as older cuts such as “Bitter,” “Better Version,” and “girls girls girls.” During “Pretending,” a video of two girls kissing showed behind her as the audience cheered. A few times throughout the show, Fletcher would grind on one of her female bandmates as the audience screamed.

“Bitter” was a standout of the show, as Fletcher followed each of her players with a video camera and zoomed in on their hands playing each instrument. At the end, Fletcher cheekily waved at the camera and blew the audience a kiss.

Fletcher then asked the audience to vote between her playing “Feel” or “Healing,” and they cheered loudest for “Healing.” It’s an emotional ballad about piecing yourself back together, and she sang it flawlessly. The set also included a mashup of her song “All Love” and “Irreplaceable” by Beyoncé, which paired seamlessly. Fletcher turned her microphone to the crowd during the chorus, as the audience cheered, “The way you kiss on her neck with that look in your eyes / Do it right in front of me, kinda makes me wanna die / but it’s all love / I hate the feeling, but it’s all love.” The show then ended with the song “Becky’s So Hot,” a song perfect for chanting as the crowd cheers “Becky’s so hot in your vintage T-shirt.”

Before the show came to a close, Fletcher took the time to address the audience by sharing a bit about her background. “I was so sick, I didn’t know if I’d ever get on a stage again…. I was just a girl singing ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow,’ and I feel like we’re somewhere over the rainbow…. Thank you.” It was a touching moment as the show slowed down to zone in on her emotional introspection, and it was easy to see why her fans have, over the years, grown so attached to her.

Fletcher represents where music’s going. In the current culture we live in, audience members felt free instead of fearing expressing themselves, as queer couples proudly embraced more than any show I (or my friend I was with) had ever seen.

There was always a market for her brand of pop star; the world is just finally ready for it.