MUNA Has Full Circle Moment At Intimate Pomona Show

Indie pop band Muna brought the heat with their hit-filled setlist at The Glass House in Pomona, CA on 4/20.

The 800-capacity venue is adjacent to a record store of the same name in Downtown Pomona, which is filled with small locally owned boutiques, restaurants and a Starbucks. It is also in the same vicinity as the Fox Theater, where boygenius played their first full-length live show in five years.

As fans started to slowly trickle into the venue, the opener, Taylor Simone Harvey, began 10 minutes earlier than her original set time. Harvey and her band were coordinated vocally, instrumentally, and fashionably as they all had matching merch jackets from Harvey’s merch store. She began her set with the song “Everybody’s On Stage,” the title track from her latest LP. The 40-minute set saw her perform most of the songs from the album including “Papa,” “Breathe,” “I Flirt With Fame” and “Be Real With Yourself.”

 During her set, she noted that this was a special moment for her opening for MUNA. She recalls that she and Muna’s guitarist Josette Maskin went to a music academy together growing up. She then ended her set appropriately with her spoken word jam “Get Off The Stage.”

MUNA then came on promptly at 9 pm, opening with their banger “What I Want.” Compared to their other headlining shows, this one had no visual backdrops, which added to the intimate aesthetic. They blazed through their one hour and 20-minute set with “Number One Fan,” Stayaway,” “No Idea,” an acoustic rendition of “Loose Garment,” “So Special” and “Pink Light” along with some deep cuts from their 2017 debut album Around U including “Crying On The Bathroom Floor(!)” the title track, and “Winterbreak.”

The sold-out show was also a full-circle moment for the group. Lead vocalist Katie recalls that Harvey gave the band the opportunity to open her show at a small venue in Brooklyn in 2016 as they were starting out.

They then brought out a special guest who goes by the name Sadie, a blown-up toy horse that was making its way through the crowd during “Anything But Me.” The group also played their latest single “The One That Got Away,” which they premiered during their set at the first weekend of Coachella.

The set ended with their hit songs “I Know A Place” and the Tik-Tok favorite “Silk Chiffon,” where they brought out Harvey to sing Phoebe Bridgers’ part.

Being a fan of MUNA since 2018, this was the first headline show I got to see of theirs but the third time seeing them overall. Having seen them open for Kacey Musgraves at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and their set at Austin City Limits in Austin, TX, this show was the most intimate and by far the best and most fun of the three. They are a force to be reckoned and there is a good reason why Harry Styles, Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift decided for the inclusive band to open for them on their respective tours.