On a 35-degree day, I made my way to The Vic Theater yet another time, but I do not say that with regret. This time I was able to see one of my favorite artists, Halsey. Even though she came off as shy between songs, Halsey was able to express herself through her music.

Before the show, Halsey had a video play directly for the fans that purchased VIP to give us a message on what her Badlands experience has been like and to tell us that she hoped we were enjoying our own as well. Halsey created Badlands, her album, to give her fans an alternative universe that gave the feeling of actually being somewhere else.

Halsey opened with “Gasoline,” which is a song about her mental state and how she deals with it. This is one of my favorite songs by her because it is a completely raw song. This song has instilled a lot of my morals. She doesn’t fear what people think about her, and I applaud Halsey for that because that has helped me slowly accept that everything you say and do is not always who you want to be.

She played most of her songs on her new album and ended with her most popular song “New Americana.” In this song, she writes about how music is able to diversify people in America and how it shapes our morals and beliefs. I love that this is one of her most popular songs because she recognizes the fact that what artists write about sticks with people for perhaps a lifetime.

Halsey came back out for her only encore song “Young God” which expresses the belief of being able to conquer anything and having power. She lengthened the song and created an ending with fake-money confetti and smoke coming from all parts of the stage. Halsey’s ending performance proved what she wanted everyone to walk away with. She wanted everyone to feel stronger and happier which in my opinion, truly transpired.

However, I was disappointed that her set was short. Halsey had only been on stage for about an hour, and even though her album is just short of an hour she still had other songs that she could have performed.

Halsey was able to express her concept of “Badlands” easily through her music and live performance. She was able to generate this atmosphere where all of her fans could be connected through her music. Halsey made sure that the crowd did not feel like it was just another night of her tour. Instead she formed a connection that made each person in the crowd feel as though they were having a one-on-one conversation.

I commend Halsey for everything she stands for. She speaks out about topics that too many music artists are afraid to acknowledge. Halsey has the ability to make a concert intimate no matter the amount of people.