Concert Review: Chrissy Costanza + VOILÀ @ DC9 (10/11/24)

Chrissy Costanza (Photo Credit: Izzy Lux)

Chrissy Costanza and Los Angeles-based VOILÀ dropped by DC9 on October 11th, as part of the Spin the Bottle Tour, for over two hours of essential pop rock music. They were joined by Ally Nicholas as the opener. My primary task was to review Chrissy’s contributions, but given the nature of the show, I included VOILÀ as well.

Chrissy Costanza is the lead singer of the NY rock band, Against the Current, but set her sights on a solo musical project. As she mentioned during the set, she started performing with Against the Current at age 15 and that was all she knew, so she wanted to undertake a side adventure and explore things that were not possible as part of the band. The project so far has culminated in the release of her first EP called VII (on October 9th) and a tour with her collaborators and friends, VOILÀ. As one might guess, there are seven songs on the EP, all of which she performed at DC9, along with two newer demo songs.

If you had any expectations about how Chrissy’s show would play out at DC9, they were likely dispelled very quickly.

The first expectation you might have had; that you know what you’re going to get when you see a DC9 show. Usually good music in an intimate venue, with very solid burgers and drinks available on three levels, and friendly bar staff. That was still certainly true for this show, but the show was super sold out, and the doors opened a bit late. Instead of letting people in after checking/scanning their ticket on the second floor, one had to next walk up to queue on the roof deck, briefly making it one of the densest knots of people in the city. I’ve been to a lot of DC9 shows, and this was a first. Once everyone made it in, I can’t recall any shows when there were more people eagerly crammed up to the DC9 stage. All the tables in the entrance corridor were removed to allow for more standing room, including moving the large merch table downstairs. All that space was needed.

The second expectation you might have had; Chrissy would be performing a solo set. In a minor way this was true, but in reality she performed her songs with VOILÀ supporting as the backing band. VOILÀ also performed their own songs without Chrissy on stage. It makes sense for Chrissy. She couldn’t attempt a solo project with members of Against the Current. She absolutely needs a backing band to fully rock the foundations of every venue she’s performing at on this tour. Plus she doesn’t have enough songs as a solo artist for a full headlining rock set, beyond adding in a bunch of covers (which they also did). She performed nine of her own solo songs, plus three Against the Current covers, one from the video game League of Legends, and another League of Legends collaboration she did for the 2019 World Championships.

The third expectation you might have had; they would perform some sort of normal rock and roll set. If you assumed you’d get a two hour set, with 29 songs and a series of short covers, for an early show (there was a dance party happening at 11pm in DC9), kudos, but you likely didn’t predict there would be an AI robot named Charlotte narrating certain parts of the set, nor that Chrissy and Gus Ross (lead singer of VOILÀ, which also includes Luke Eisner, and a drummer), would trade off entering and exiting the stage to perform their respective music. They did perform a few songs together, but for the most part it was either VOILÀ playing as a band or Chrissy and her adopted backing band playing. They made so many trips through the crowd to get between the green room and the stage, that that section of the crowd soon instinctively parted like a well-oiled machine.

After Ally Nicholas and then some exposition by Charlotte the AI, they kicked off the main set with a bouncy, upbeat collaboration single from VOILÀ called “Caught It”, that features Chrissy on vocals.

Much of the set was Chrissy and Gus trading off, one doing vocal duties, the other stepping off the stage (usually heading to the green room). They played three VOILÀ songs before Chrissy returned.

“But, What if I Fly?” is the first track off of Chrissy’s EP and the first solo entry she performed. It was at this moment you knew Chrissy’s bright, airy voice was going to overwhelm us all in this small venue. The song is a weighty, soaring treatise about trying to escape from a relationship holding you back (in darkness), but you’re more worried about the consequences rather than the possibilities. It plays on the Icarus story, that maybe we shouldn’t only focus on the hubris and failure of flying into the Sun, but maybe on the possibility that you can fly and also thrive.

Next came “If Looks Good Kill”, with a hauntingly surreal intro. It speaks to being completely infatuated by someone. Each song from VII starts with an ethereal or resounding intro that anchors you to unexpected place, before disappearing in favor of Chrissy’s resonant lyrics of the first verse.

Halfway through the set, the band shifted to the center of DC9’s dance floor to perform a series of cover songs acoustically, which are each meaningful to Chrissy. Everyone was asked to activate their phone flashlights, and in this peaceful disposition Chrissy sang snippets from “Landslide” (by Fleetwood Mac), “The Middle” (by Jimmy Eat World), “Misery Business” (by Paramore), “A Whole New World” (from Disney’s Aladdin), “Sweet Surrender” (by Against the Current), and a couple others.

Before the show, as people waited in line on DC9’s roof top, someone went around asking people to enter to be the spinner of the Spin the Wheel game. They called up the winner, who’s spin landed on Against the Current’s “weapon”, which they rocked quite effectively. It speaks to the reality that if you are always something, like a weapon, then the results are always the same, you lose those you love. The band did a second spin of the Wheel, but I didn’t catch the name of the song.

Later came “Pick Your Poison”, which initially wafts us towards a wispy, angelic mood, then ascends to the bell clear vocals of the opening verses, before going hard. Hard in a good way. The guitar work snapped everyone to attention. Chrissy’s ability to fully dominate everyone’s senses with her vocal range, where she quite literally leans back as far as possible and shouts to the ceiling, was one of the highlights of the show, not just for this song, but for most.

Between songs, Chrissy commented on her short stature, noting that it was difficult to see the whole crowd in DC9 (as there were a plethora of tall people close to the front). Then she did a PSA on being courteous to short people by leaving a lane of visibility at concerts for them to successfully see the stage, ending her etiquette speech with “This is my life.”

Chrissy also played two unreleased demos, “What If Sin Could Save Me” and “Perfect Crime”, which is about silencing yourself to make others more comfortable. They both sounded like worthy entries to her next EP or maybe full-length album.

They ended the main set with a trilogy of great songs, starting with “Something Blue” by VOILÀ, which I think was the best song that they performed. Then “You’d Be Right” by Chrissy, and finally the banger “Phoenix”, the 2019 single from League of Legends that also features Cailin Russo on vocals.

After the crowd parted for the penultimate time, they all re-emerged on the stage for a three-song encore, including one by VOILÀ, and another Against the Current cover song from League of Legends. But the final song of the night was Chrissy’s biggest swing so far, “7 Minutes in Hell” (released as a single featuring VOILÀ). Gus joined for his choice lyrics, but it was Chrissy’s final statement (or rather, final love letter) to the excited fans. She had previously described it as, ‘“7 Minutes in Hell” explores the unsettling reality of how someone else’s Heaven can be your personal Hell. For years, I was bound by others’ expectations, always questioning why I was drawn to what they deemed ‘wrong.’ This song is the awakening after falling from grace, realizing that what they called Hell might actually be my freedom.‘

We were definitely not in Hell during this epic rock show, but we did have our own expectations, all quietly dispelled and the reality eagerly accepted without question. It was an awakening as well, one where we should all wake up and give Chrissy Costanza’s VII a listen, followed closely by purchasing said EP. I’ll be curious to see what more she does as a solo artist and look forward to future tours.

Setlist

Caught It (VOILÀ feat. Chrissy Costanza)
Drinking with Cupid (VOILÀ)
Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You (VOILÀ)
Table For One (VOILÀ)
But, What if I Fly? (Chrissy Costanza)
If Looks Good Kill (Chrissy Costanza)
Some Like It Hot (Chrissy Costanza)
Wild Fire (Against the Current cover)
Therapy (VOILÀ)
Drop Dead Gorgeous (VOILÀ)
It’s Got a Ring to It (VOILÀ)
Long Story Short (VOILÀ)
(Series of covers performed on the floor: Landslide (Fleetwood Mac), The Middle (Jimmy Eat World), Misery Business (Paramore), Hero too (Chrissy Costanza), Beauty and a Beat (Justin Bieber), A Whole New World (Disney), Sweet Surrender (Against the Current)
I Tried to Act Your Age (Chrissy Costanza)
Weapon (Against the Current cover)
(unknown)
Pick Your Poison (Chrissy Costanza)
What If Sin Could Save Me (Chrissy Costanza)
Glass Half Empty (VOILÀ)
Pull the Plug (VOILÀ)
Cursive (VOILÀ)
Wish It On You (VOILÀ feat. Chrissy Costanza)
Perfect Crime (Chrissy Costanza)
Train of Thoughts (VOILÀ)
Something Blue (VOILÀ)
You’d Be Right (Chrissy Costanza)
Phoenix (Chrissy Costanza) (from the game League of Legends)