It’s More Than Rainbows, Kittens, & Surprises with RKS!

I remember seeing Logic perform at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto back in 2018. The Budweiser stage is an amphitheater, meaning that even though the stage has a roof for a good portion of the seating area, the majority of it is outside. I remember my friend and I had tickets on the lawn, which was at the very back of the venue, and a huge storm appeared out of nowhere. We had to take cover with everyone under the stairs. Moving to 2024, I was waiting in the media area, anticipating a fun night with Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and to my surprise, the take-cover warning was announced as a storm came barreling across downtown Toronto. I enjoy when things don’t go exactly to plan, as in life. Does anything really? Once the storm cleared up, we were brought inside the venue to witness a visually spectacular show.

Taking the stage first was artist Medium Build. Traveling all the way to Toronto from Anchorage, Alaska, Medium Build brought the correct performing formula with them to get the crowd screaming and laughing, building up good vibes and cherished memories amongst the concert attendees. Unfortunately, due to the storm, Medium Build’s set was shortened by 15 minutes. Despite this, they still managed to perform a good chunk of their tracks to the audience, such as “Crying Over U”, “Gimme Back My Soul” and “Cuz of U”. Speaking with the crowd for a moment, Medium Build took light of the storm, talking about how we worry too much as humans about the smallest things, and how society as a whole is something to laugh at. We are on a floating rock through space, and we should just vibe and hang out instead of worrying.

Rainbow Kitten Surprise soon took the stage after Medium Build. The stage lit up in every colour of the rainbow and soon went dark as each of the group members made their way into position. The lights slowly faded back into reality as Ela Melo, the band’s lead vocalist, made her way into position, commencing the start of a legendary night at the Budweiser Stage. With the storm fading off into the distance, Rainbow Kitten Surprise performed a legendary run of “Peter Pan,” “Cocaine Jesus,” and “SVO” to start off the night. The lights remained vivid and fast, quickly changing colours and flashing when they needed to, as Ela danced her way across the stage to every instrument breakdown each song had. I noticed that there wasn't a specific colour scheme for each song, but high contrast and colours that would emit a happy feeling to the crowd.

Continuing further into their set and performing more of their iconic tracks such as “Fever Pitch”, “Goodnight Chicago”, and “First Class”, the crowd got more and more on their feet. I haven’t seen such a lively crowd in a really long time like the one for Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Fans would get up and scream when they heard the intros to certain songs, or they would be dancing in the aisles during more upbeat songs and hugging each other, swaying with the more toned-down tracks. From performing one song straight into the next, the lead singer Ela took a moment to speak with the crowd, thanking them for coming out to the show tonight, and that tonight is a special moment, just like every show or exciting event is, and hoped that everyone in the crowd enjoys their time.

Between more intense dancing from Ela, or each individual instrumentalist shredding their instruments better than anyone else could, the show turned into the most visually, vocally, and wholesomely stunning concert on the planet for that evening. Playing even more great tracks such as “Devil Like Me”, “Hot Pink Ice Cube”, and “That’s My Shit,” the energy stayed incredibly high until the end. Speaking with the crowd again, the members of Rainbow Kitten Surprise wanted to give a special shout-out to everyone who had made the tour possible, and Ela introduced everyone who was standing on the stage with her. Rainbow Kitten Surprise even gave Medium Build an incredible shout-out, and thanked everyone in the crowd for attending their show tonight. Closing the main part of their set with “Run” and encore tracks “Thanks for Coming” and “It’s Called: Freefall”, Rainbow Kitten Surprise really surprised me with their live performances, instantly earning a spot on my list of artists I must see live again.

You can stream Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s latest album, Love Hate Music Box, on Spotify below.