On Oct. 15, a line of fans wrapped around Denver’s Summit Music Hall. With pairs of shoes only daring to step out of the growing line to snap a photo of the glowing marquee, reading “Cornelia Murr & Matt Maltese.”
Cornelia Murr opened the night with a hypnotic set. Murr’s music treads the line between folk and pop, but her voice stands entirely on its own. She has a sort of whispered tone, paired with power and control that directly contradicts the softness she delivers with each song.
At Wood Magazine described Murr’s voice as mirroring that of a “siren’s call.” The sentiment shines through during songs like “Tokyo Kyoto,” the song ending with wordless harmonies that lulled the crowd to a dream-like state.
Before the show, I hadn’t realized just how romantic Maltese’s discography was. As the concert unfolded, it became clear that each song was written like a love letter to his partner.
Maltese’s set was what one might consider emotionally heavy, but he lightened the mood with playful remarks to the crowd. Before performing one of the more recognizable tracks from his 2020 album “Krystal,” he shared a story about a fan who once spotted him on the train and shouted, “Curl Up & Die.”
He followed that song with the album’s title track, “Krystal.” Still slow in pace, it’s the type of song you sway back and forth to. Then, with a dramatic shift in lighting and mood, he played the opening notes of “madhouse.”
During “Jupiter” guitarist Randall Pepper took center stage performing an impressive solo to close out the song, seamlessly transitioning into “As the World Caves In.” The 2018 release, which rose to fame on TikTok, tells of the impending doomsday facing the world, with Maltese simply wishing to spend his final moments beside his partner. The message resonated with many couples in the crowd who held each other a little tighter as the song continued.
To close out the main set, Maltese invited Murr back onto the stage for a duet to “Arthouse Cinema.” The blend of their two vocal styles created a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere and end to the night.
