By Meghan Mahaffey and Molly Chamberlain
As best friends, roommates, and the perfect concert-going pair, it is with pleasure that we can recount our experience at our fifth concert together, King Princess at Radio City Music Hall on October 3. King Princess, or Mikaela Straus, is an artist from Brooklyn, New York. In describing herself she writes via Instagram, “I’m not a girl, not quite a boy. A lesbian, but also gay as the day is long. I’m not one thing.” Her fluid identity rings loudly throughout her work, appealing to her adolescent audience. Repeatedly throughout her set, Straus made it known that this was a dream come true, as the show flipped her role from spectator to performer in the iconic concert hall.
There’s nothing better than hearing your favorite artists and songs live and embracing the lore of standing in a sweaty crowd to do so. So, it was only natural that, on the drive home from seeing Phoebe Bridgers this summer, we bought tickets for the King Princess concert at Radio City. If I’m being honest, Radio City is not my favorite venue to see a concert–the seats mess with my dancing and make the concert feel a bit more formal. I prefer standing room or general admission, but I don’t make the rules of where each concert takes place. We have seen one other show at Radio City, Clairo, and we both felt that the venue was perfect for an artist like her. The soft yellow lighting paired well with her quiet, yet heartbreaking, melodies; I couldn’t picture this concert occurring anywhere else. However, King Princess didn’t exactly fit that mold that Clairo did. Although Radio City may not have been her scene, King Princess took on the assignment (drunkenly), and surpassed our expectations, breaking the mentioned boundaries that Radio City as a concert venue holds.
King Princess ran onto the stage, White Claw in hand, not before drag queen Pissi Myles gave us a warm welcome. Singing Elton John’s “The Bitch Is Back,” she got the crowd energized for the show. KP’s setlist included classics like “Talia,” “1950,” “Upper West Side” (shoutout Lincoln Center), and “Pussy is God” mixed with new material from her latest album “Hold on Baby.” She knows how to entertain a crowd, throwing herself around the stage and walking out into the rows of fans.
When Molly attended Gov Ball in 2021, she was first exposed to the album and energy of King Princess. After encouraging Meghan to listen to her music, her 2019 album “Cheap Queen” quickly shot to the top of our monthly recaps on Spotify. Because of our fondness for the album, hearing the old tracks evoked great excitement in row WW of the Orchestra.
A favorite for us both on “Cheap Queen” is “Hit the Back.” In our opinion, her debut album outranks “Hold On Baby,” being home to many of her quintessential tracks. Her performance of “Hit the Back” in particular made us want to rage, but the seats and setup of Radio City made it hard to do that. The at-times awkward screaming and jumping sufficed, however; it’s hard not to absorb her onstage energy and enthusiasm.
Towards the end of the show, she brought out special guest, Julian Casablancas, the lead singer of The Strokes, to sing a cover of their “You Only Live Once.” Neither of us are huge fans of The Strokes, but who doesn’t love a guest surprise? Following, she carried out the classic “leave-the-stage-and-make-us-beg-for-an-encore,” reappearing in a new outfit: a tank top and pants with defined hips. She played three more songs from “Hold on Baby” to conclude the concert. Our walk back to Lincoln Center from Radio City to catch our Ram Van was filled with comparison of favorite songs and performances–and planning for our next concert. For now, though, we’re looking forward to Radio City’s next big feat: The Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular!
King Princess has curated a brand of inclusivity in her work and social media presence, creating comfort for people of all identities throughout their journeys. The artist’s publicity of her own perspectives on gender and sexuality gives people within the LBGTQ+ community visibility in the industry as well as an influential gay icon!!!
