Review: SkyDxddy Brings Therapy to Kansas in the form of the Traumacore Tour
Article by: Barrett Stephens: Joey ElifritsMusic in itself is a glorious form of therapy. Lyrics can hit home, melodies can permeate the body and send the listener on a journey. It's not often, though, that there are entire movements that are dedicated to healing. Dedicated to, not only bringing awareness to but to calling out those that cause these types of traumas. That's where viral TikTok sensation, SkyDxddy, comes in with a brand new genre of music she has dubbed "traumacore." and November 11th, New Transcendence got to witness this movement in action as the seminal "Traumacore Tour" made its stop in Overland Park, KS at Vivo Live Events. Joined by Demi the Daredevil, a Fantasy Pop artist from Austin, TX, she was met with a packed house. The house music kicked things off with a little Breaking Benjamin, another band that is cathartic to many listeners but we had no idea what was in store for the rest of the night.
Demi kicked things off with plenty of energy, especially considering the act was just Jeff Azar (original drummer) and his drummer. I found out shortly after the event that their story had been struck by tragedy with the passing of their original vocalist, Jovan Ortiz which changed the dynamic of the band. Their show was a spectacle to behold, running through a set that included their most recent single "Voice Notes," along with fan favorites like "Not Havin' a Blast," the haunting "Paranoia on Main Street" and the electronically-infused "Body Worx." They also ran through a medley of 90s/00s hits that included "Wonderwall" and a few Green Day songs: "Longview (instrumental opening)," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Minority." Overall, they were a really fun set but the real surprise was when Jeff jumped to drums for the last song. It was interesting to see how his talents played off one another, while the drummer took over guitar and backing vocals. They took a bow and began to quickly move off stage to get ready for the main event: SkyDxddy
This set was unlike any I'd ever seen: while the set opened up with "Crazy Side," the rest was completely picked by the crowd. Each song was met with a brief synopsis of why it existed and a reminder of why Traumacore is more than just a genre, it's a movement. She slayed through "Battlefield," written about the disgust she felt after the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned. She turned up the "crazy" with her rendition of Dax's "Joker." Her latest single, "Pretty Distraction," was one of quite a few songs that would have quite an emotional experience among the crowd.
The next would be "Why Me," which illicits a very obvious, powerful emotional response. The room was filled wall to wall with fans who wanted to hear her older songs, to which she thanked them and she even played one song, "Please Try Again" for the first time ever. "Don't Talk About It" had both the sad and original versions played, while there were also 2 new songs thrown into the mix, her upcoming single "7 Years" (out December 8th) and a song called "Pinky Promise."
I'll be honest: as a male in a room that was predominantly women and knowing the (understandable) hesitation that she has towards the male species… I had a small moment where I wondered what I had gotten myself into. However, as someone who has endured sexual assault, suffers from BPD, Depression, Anxiety and PTSD... it was a cathartic release that I never thought I'd experience. This is one tour you DONT want to miss and if you missed any of the dates that hit your area, be sure to look out for more in the future I'm sure!