Melanie Martinez brought her “HADES: THE SACRIFICE TOUR” to Phoenix’s Mortgage Matchup Center on August 12, transforming the arena into the strange and unsettling world of her latest album. With elaborate sets, intricate choreography, vivid costumes, and a story that unfolded throughout the night, Martinez delivered a performance that felt just as much like a theatrical production as it did a concert.
The evening began with Isabel LaRosa, who was carried onto the stage by her dancers as the opening notes of “older” filled the arena. Accompanied by two male dancers throughout her set, LaRosa moved through a 13-song performance featuring tracks including “Pretty Boy,” “Muse,” “Hallucination,” “My Girl,” “Porcelain,” and “i’m yours.” Her beautiful voice stood out throughout the set, while the choreography added another visual element to her performance. She closed with “Favorite,” leaving the crowd warmed up for the elaborate production that was about to follow.
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As fans waited for Melanie Martinez to take the stage, birds chirped through the speakers while blue lights illuminated the stage. Tree-shaped lanterns hung above the set, their tops covered in cloud-like material, creating an almost peaceful atmosphere before the story began to take a much darker turn.
A narrator introduced the world of HADES, explaining that Martinez’s character, Circle, had been discovered in an isolated cult settlement with no understanding of modern society. After asking the audience to say her name three times, Martinez’s voice emerged from the darkness, offering her perspective on the world she had discovered.
Her commentary was blunt, criticizing the structures and institutions of modern society before leading directly into “GARBAGE.” An explosion erupted onstage as a burning building appeared on the screen behind her. Martinez then emerged from a bed positioned at the center of the stage, while a dancer climbed out of a dresser. The moment immediately established what would become one of the defining elements of the show: the production was constantly changing around her.
Martinez and her dancers launched into intricate choreography as the bedroom set evolved with each song. Between performances, Martinez continued to provide pieces of the story, helping establish the dystopian world and the ideas behind the album.
I will admit that I came into this show with limited knowledge of Martinez’s music. I was familiar with her from her time on “The Voice” years ago and I have been vaguely familiar with her career since then, but I had never really immersed myself in the lore surrounding her music. I also did not realize that the HADES tour would feature the album in its entirely from beginning to end rather than following the traditional concert format of mixing new material with older fan favorites.
That ended up being one of my favorite things about the show.
Martinez performed HADES in its entirety, with the audience screaming back every word. Looking around the arena, it was obvious how deeply fans had connected with this era. Many had put considerable thought into their outfits, dressing as characters and drawing inspiration from different parts of Martinez’s career. It was refreshing to see an audience so invested in an artist’s newest material rather than waiting for the older songs.
The production continued to grow as Martinez moved through songs including “IS THIS A CULT?,” “GRUDGES,” “MONOPOLY MAN,” “AVOIDANT,” “MONOLITH,” and “WEIGHT WATCHERS.” The stage became a constantly changing environment, with large set pieces and screens creating new settings around the performers.
During “MONOPOLY MAN,” Martinez danced with money while the imagery reinforced the song’s commentary on wealth and power. For “AVOIDANT,” a fan was brought onto the stage and seated in the center of a circle while Martinez performed to her.
“WEIGHT WATCHERS” was particularly relatable to me, and judging by the reaction around the arena, I was far from the only one who connected with it.
One of the most visually impressive moments came during “MONOLITH.” Fans across the arena turned on their phone flashlights, creating a sea of lights around the performance. Dancers moved around Martinez in a circle while hanging lamps became part of the choreography. The combination of lighting, movement, fan participation, and costumes made it one of the most visually striking moments of the night.
That was true throughout much of the show. There was almost always something happening somewhere onstage. Martinez could be performing at center stage while dancers moved around her, props shifted into place, screens changed, and lighting transformed the entire environment. There was so much happening at any given moment that it was impossible to take it all in at once.
And through all of it, Martinez’s voice remained impressive. She delivered the songs while simultaneously keeping up with the demanding choreography, consistently hitting her notes even as the production around her became increasingly elaborate.
The show eventually moved toward its conclusion with “CHATROOM,” which featured Martinez seated at a computer participating in a video chat. The scene ended with the computer exploding, bringing the main portion of the performance to a dramatic close.
After a brief departure, Martinez returned to the B-stage for “THE LAST TWO PEOPLE ON EARTH.” She performed alongside one dancer while the rest of the dancers continued performing on the main stage, bringing the night to its final moments.
HADES: THE SACRIFICE TOUR is an impressive example of what happens when an artist builds an entire concert around a specific creative world. Every element of the performance had a purpose. The costumes, choreography, props, lighting, screens, and set pieces all worked together to tell the story of HADES rather than simply decorate the stage.
Even as someone who was unfamiliar with much of the lore coming into the show, I found myself completely drawn into the world Martinez created. The production was visually stunning, the performances were strong, and the crowd’s enthusiasm made it clear that this is an era her fans have embraced wholeheartedly.
The US leg of HADES: THE SACRIFICE TOUR has officially wrapped, but if you have the chance to check out the tour as it heads overseas next month, I highly recommend it. Even if you are not deeply familiar with the story behind the album, Martinez has created a show that is easy to get lost in. From the moment the birds began chirping to the final moments of “THE LAST TWO PEOPLE ON EARTH,” Phoenix was given a front-row seat to a world that was strange, unsettling, visually captivating, and completely Melanie Martinez.
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