Photos by Caitlyn Williams
By the time Caitlyn—who photographed the show—and I reached the Hollywood Palladium, the line had already wrapped around the entire block. Groups of college and high school-aged fans buzzed with anticipation. It was the final night of Ruel’s Kicking My Feet tour, and the energy in the air was infectious.
The venue, a historic LA landmark, was just as stunning on the inside as it was on the outside. Grand, ornate, and circular, with massive chandeliers hanging from the ceiling—it felt like the perfect setting to witness something special. And special it was.
Before Ruel hit the stage, Chelsea Jordan eased us into the night with husky vocals that had my jaw dropping from the first note. Her energy was magnetic, effortlessly cool, like an IT girl in a big city. Despite it being her first tour, she was a complete natural. Her track “picky choosy” had me immediately pulling out my phone to add it, and her cover of “YUKON” was so breathtaking that it deserves to be heard by Justin Bieber himself. As she blew kisses and danced casually off the stage, I was left intrigued and wanting more, exactly what an opener should do.
Then came Mercer Henderson, Ruel’s direct support. Full disclosure: I already knew most of her discography going in… still, I had never seen her perform live, so I was curious. She opened with “Different, Worse Versions” strumming a couple of chords on her guitarist’s instrument for the final chorus, before moving into “Kissing A Ghost,” one of my personal favorites, which somehow sounded even better live. The chorus was larger-than-life, getting the crowd moving, though admittedly, not as much as I’d hoped (LA’s never beating the LA crowd allegations).
During her performance of her latest release, “Is It Fun Or Is It Over?,” she fully committed, dropping to her knees for the outro while belting the title of the track. Her guitarist matched her energy, amplifying the intensity of the moment. She wrapped up her set with “Almost, So Close, Maybe,” and while sometimes I wished she’d linger in one spot a bit longer instead of pacing the stage, her charisma was undeniable. And those bridges? They hit every time.
After Henderson’s departure, a solitary red door stood mysteriously at the center as strobing blue lights cascaded across the venue. A faint glow seeped out as the music grew more impatient. The lights flashed more rapidly and then…the red door swung open. Ruel emerged, silhouetted against a backdrop of hazy white light as if descending from heaven. It was theatrical in all the ways a concert intro should be.
Leaning dramatically in the doorway, the silhouette of Ruel launched instantly into the opening verse of “Only Ever” before being submerged in red light, revealing his full look: an oversized suit and shaggy mullet. The crowd was electric as he played throwback track, “Dazed & Confused” under flashing white lights.
“I Can Die Now” followed—one of the tracks I was most excited to see live after it had accumulated countless streams on my playlist. From the minute that sultry guitar intro hit, I was hooked. The crowd danced and sang along to the enticingly groovy chorus as the lights pulsed red and blue in perfect sync with the beat.
Throughout the night, the lighting design stood out to me. Each song had its own carefully curated ambiance, elevating the performance to another level. Combined with Ruel’s strong live vocals, charismatic stage presence, and catchy songs, it made for an immersive show experience. It’s rare to see lighting executed this thoughtfully, and so I thought it deserved a proper acknowledgment.
Before performing “Destroyer,” a singular arm extended from behind the red door to hand Ruel his guitar (“give it up for the hand everybody”), a charming bit that recurred throughout the night. To mark the final show of his tour, he brought out his openers for an acoustic rendition of “The Suburbs,” their harmonies blending seamlessly. He also welcomed the tour opener from the first half of his U.S. leg, Arthur Hill, back to the stage for “Cats On The Ceiling,” teasing him as his “third favorite opener" in a moment of cheekiness.
As a college student who occasionally forgets to check in with my parents, “No News Is Good News” had me a little teary-eyed amongst the sea of people in the crowd. Written from his mother’s perspective, Ruel introduced the song with an endearing anecdote about her initial confusion over the concept—earning chuckles from the audience—before we collectively surrendered to the emotion of the lyrics. It was one of the night’s most heartfelt moments.
After switching from a blazer to a leather jacket and performing “Wild Guess,” the now-familiar hand stretched out from behind the red door once again, this time offering…a bag of ice? Ruel was instantly outraged at the ice for infiltrating a place in which it was not welcome. The political sentiment was clear, and the gesture only strengthened my respect for the Australian singer.
He closed his set with “Painkiller,” his breakout hit. Every lyric was shouted back at him by the crowd, and it was the perfect rush of adrenaline and nostalgia to cap things off.
But the night wasn’t over just yet. After chants of “encore,” Ruel returned in an extravagant brown fur coat. When a fan yelled “yesss diva!” he echoed it back playfully before playing a cover of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”—which ironically felt completely on brand.
He ended the night (for real this time) with the title track of his touring album, “Kicking My Feet,” and rather than having the band play him out, he dismissed them to stand alone onstage as he thanked everyone involved in the tour. It was a touching moment and a testament to his humility.
As I left the grand halls of the Palladium, Caitlyn and I debriefed on the night. We had a lot to say—but kept coming back to one conclusion:
What a one-of-a-kind concert.
