A few songs into her show at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland, with a rainstorm pulsing outside, Raveena painted a visual image of the making of her third album, Where the Butterflies Go In the Rain. She spoke of living in the mountains, her time spent creating, meditating, and hiking. The dreamy creative landscape in which the album came to fruition was in stark contrast to the creation of the tour—in which Raveena reimagined the set in the midst of the Los Angeles fires and while caretaking for an ill loved one. She referred to the period as “the worst time of [her] life.” The intimate lushness of the show serves as a reminder of the beauty and art that can be borne out of tragedy.
Raveena’s show openers included ethereal indie rock band Lightning Bug and Renao, a London-based singer and musician who sings soulful R&B with pop influence. Raveena opened with “We Should Move Somewhere Beautiful” quickly followed with “Pluto,” the first song off Where the Butterflies Go In the Rain and the song that partially inspired the album’s title. “Pluto” fits into the theme of creating beauty from tragedy. It is a track Raveena wrote about a friend of a friend “who had passed very young but kept appearing to them as a butterfly.”
The tour was a visual feast, with the set decorated in light colored drapery, with athletic dancers wearing flowy white pants, their natural hair flowing. There was a fan at center stage, blue scarves used as props by dancers, and dreamy choreography that all created a flowing energy onstage. The beauty also felt present in the crowd, an audience full of flowing fabrics, flowers tucked behind ears, butterfly clips.
Raveena herself is an immensely present and charismatic performer. Early in the show she proclaimed a love for DC performances and called out fans she recognized in the crowd by name. She wore a pink and orange halter dress, adorned in the middle with a rhinestone butterfly. Towards the end of the show she led a collective mediation moment, encouraging the audience to become aware of each part of their body from the top of their head to their toes. I’d never before witnessed a concert space so still and enthralled.
On stage, she showcases her broad range of ability. There is the Raveena who is meticulously hitting choreo with her dancers, the one laying on the stage belting, the one gently playing guitar and crooning, the version who harmonizes with herself. There’s also the version who teases “her most Britney song,” (“Secret”) complete with a performance that felt decidedly more pop star, including both hair and chair choreo and a headset mic.
During “Smile for Me” Raveena brought a couple from the crowd up on stage to dance and at the end of the song presented them with a bouquet of flowers. Love and romance felt ever present. She also sang “Baby Mama,” a song about loving someone in such a crazy way that you want to make new life with them, and “Headache” about a girl who broke her heart. Perhaps the most surprising choice was her cover of Aaliyah’s “At Your Best (You are Love).” Raveena dedicated her song “Rise” to “oppressed people from Palestine to Congo to the United States.” The choice of “Stronger” as the encore song felt like an apt pick, leaving the audience with a reminder of their collective resilience.
Words by Caitlin Doherty for Staged Haze
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