Magic City Hippies

The Echo Lounge, Dallas, TX

March 4, 2024

Review and Gallery by: Grace Forrester

As their winter tour winds down to an end, Miami natives Magic City Hippies brought an electrifying mix of alternative pop and funk to the incredible Echo Lounge in Dallas, Texas last week, along with opening support from Josh Fudge and The Palms. The night was filled with amazing performances, dancing, and high energy from every act. With tons of crowd participation and even personal twists on multiple covers, Magic City Hippies brought the heat with a night you won’t forget.

Starting off the show was Josh Fudge, opening up with a song that felt very on brand called ‘Hello’ off his 2022 album Technicolor. Combining his bass and piano skills along with his drummer Jhakobi Harkey, Fudge creates a warm, carefree vibe to hype up the crowd. Seeing the diehard Magic City Hippies fans on the barricade loving song after song and hyping Fudge throughout his set was quite fun to watch, especially as he played his newest release ‘won’t u?’ They were just as enthusiastic towards the end of his set as they took photos with fans on the barricade, along with one big selfie before leaving the stage.

The last opener to take the stage were The Palms lead by Ben Rothbard Johnny Zambetti, starting with their song “Talk Too Much”. Their sound fits perfectly within the framework of indie music, but it also takes a slower, more dreamier approach. Their performance of ‘Push Off’ encapsulated that feeling while incorporating elements of folk. Even the stage lighting matched, primarily dark and moody with flashes of pinks, purples, and blues. The fans were cheering them on by their last song ‘Levitate’, leaving the crowd ready for the main event of the evening.

With the house lights dimmed and the stage being only illuminated with neon signs spelling out the letters MCH, Magic City Hippies took the stage by storm, instantly jumping into their first song ‘Queen’. Their energy was infectious from the start, you could feel the shake of the barricade as the crowd went wild. It’s easy to tell when an artist truly loves and lives their work, and that sentiment was on full display as the band danced around with each other on stage and put their all into their performance. Their trumpetist Michael Fatum embodies this to a tee, his pure passion and craftsmanship on full display. 

Even when slowing things down with an acoustic version of their track ‘Water Your Garden’ flowing into ‘Hangunder Tease’, the fan’s enthusiasm was still on high, leading into the perfect pick-up with a personal favorite ‘Franny’. For those who may have been new to Magic City Hippies at the start of the evening, there was still something to love and dance to with their many covers throughout the night, including hits such as ‘Hot in Here’ by Nelly and ‘Suck My Kiss’ by Red Hot Chili Peppers. As they finished the main set with their song ‘Fanfare’, they fully ended the night after a thunderous cheer of an encore with ‘Hush’, capping off the night with a bang.

Although their tour has ended, Magic City Hippies have one more performance at the Treefort Music Festival, playing alongside other talented acts like Briston Maroney, K. Flay, Flyana Boss, and Sir Chloe. They are not a band you want to miss next time they’re in your city!