Neon Skies night two: Party girl central

The second and final night of Edmonton’s brand new music festival, Neon Skies, began similarly to the first. The audience hummed in anticipation as they waited for the stars to arrive. But the vibe of the venue had definitely shifted. Gone were the prim and proper Conan Gray hats and dresses, and entering were slashed tights, sequinned leopard print, and blue hair extensions, all an homage to Kesha, the evening’s headliner. If the previous night’s crowd had been seeking emotional catharsis, this crowd wanted to drown their emotions in club music. Little did they know, the evening would later be cut short due to an extreme storm, drowning the venue instead of their feelings.

The energy of the night began high. The first performer was Heidi Montag, an early-2000s darling riding the waves of the Gen Z-propelled Y2K resurgence. Montag appeared in a cloud of pink glitter and sparkly bodysuits, strutting across the stage as she clumsily lip-synched to “Thank Me.” Montag flew through song after song, barely acknowledging the audience. Her stage presence was extremely stiff and artificial. Her singing was as false as her plastic Barbie-doll image, and she mostly left the heavy lifting to her talented dancers.

The audience didn’t seem to care. They were just happy to party with her, dancing continuously as each bass-pounding, techno track ran into the next. It was often hard to distinguish when a song had ended, as each one sounded similar to the last. Regardless, Montag managed to elicit an enthusiastic response from the fun-loving crowd. The theme of the night seemed to be thoughtless partying, and Montag fit the bill.

After Montag left something to be desired, Slayyyter came on stage and delivered. The St. Louis native is experiencing a meteoric rise in popularity, coming to prominence with her new album, “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA,” released earlier this year. The second Slayyyter walked on stage, the atmosphere shifted. The air was electric, amplified by her sheer star power as she tore through her set. Her vocals were great, and her high-energy presence magnified the appeal of each rave-worthy track. The crowd was right there with her, gleefully bouncing and yelling to every club anthem.

Slayyyter has also curated a very specific aesthetic to go alongside her music. If Chappell Roan is the princess of the Midwest, then Slayyyter is its quintessential party girl. As she sang about dancing, weed, and being famous, Slayyyter surrounded herself with Midwestern-esque visuals, herself adorned with a trucker hat, ripped jeans, and raccoon tail. Her set explored the balance between coming from a more rural background and relating to a more urban, club-oriented environment. This theme especially struck a chord here in Alberta, as the crowd waved their trucker hats along to bass drops and killer hooks.

After a thrilling set from Slayyyter, the crowd was primed and ready for the main event: Kesha. Unfortunately, we were instead met with great tragedy. A terrible storm had rolled in, and the venue was evacuated almost immediately after Slayyyter left the stage. Distressed and heartbroken, the crowd began to file out.

Although it was a sad end to a great night, the crowd found comfort in each other’s disappointment. While holed up in a Boston Pizza waiting for the storm to pass, a Kesha song came on over the speakers. The restaurant erupted in euphoria, nearly everyone joining in and dancing in their seats. While they may have been cheated out of a show, it didn’t stop them from coming together and forming a bond over a shared love: music. And really, what else is a music festival all about?