{"id":172,"date":"2026-04-21T19:34:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T19:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.georgetownradio.com\/?p=172"},"modified":"2026-04-21T19:34:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T19:34:49","slug":"an-evening-with-perfume-genius","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.georgetownradio.com\/?p=172","title":{"rendered":"An Evening with Perfume Genius\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Madeline Jones<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfume Genius (aka Michael Hadreas) returned to Lincoln Theatre on March 31, 2026, for a performance that felt less like a traditional concert and more like an intimate, dimly lit, secret performance. Stripped down to Hadreas\u2019 angelic voice and the quiet \u2013 yet essential \u2013 presence of his husband and collaborator Alan Wyffels, the evening leaned into a sense of graceful fragility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stage set-up was minimal: two seats, two pianos, and low lighting that cast long shadows. Throughout the set, Hadreas alternated between sitting at his piano and standing behind a mic stand at center stage. From the moment he got on stage, Hadreas set a tone that blurred vulnerability with humor, remarking that the night would be filled with banter due to the beta blockers he had just taken. Later, he went on to joke about the visible stain on his shirt from the bread pudding and ice cream he\u2019d eaten earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The duo opened with \u201cAWOL Marine,\u201d which Hadreas noted they were performing live for the first time in a while. They followed with \u201cPerry,\u201d a track off of their debut album, Learning<\/em>, and \u201cNo Front Teeth,\u201d during which Hadreas sang both parts of the duet \u2013 and exquisitely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before launching into \u201cValley,\u201d Hadreas remarked that the show should have been labeled \u201ca night with Perfume Genius\u201d as he enters the second half of his life. From there, he introduced \u201cFull On,\u201d one of his favorite songs off of Glory<\/em>. He followed that up with a series of throwbacks, including \u201cDie 4 You,\u201d \u201cHood,\u201d and a slowed-down, nearly unrecognizable version of \u201cOn the Floor,\u201d which served as a stark contrast from its usual pulsing beat. On \u201cWhole Life\u201d and \u201cJason\u201d (a personal favorite), Wyffels\u2019 beautiful piano playing was on full display alongside Hadreas\u2019 piercing vocals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most unexpected joys of the night was getting to see the playful and loving energy between Hadreas and Wyffels. After \u201cWithout You,\u201d Wyffels remarked that he kept finding himself finishing Hadreas\u2019 sentences and dancing along as he sang. During \u201cNothing at All,\u201d the two fought over who got to play the last note, with Wyffels eventually ceding to Hadreas. For \u201cDescribe\u201d and \u201cAlan,\u201d Wyffels gave Hadreas the stage, but stood in the wings watching warmly. To close out the set, the two sat side by side to perform \u201cLearning,\u201d with Wyffels mouthing each word in sync with Hadreas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything, from seeing the opener, Dan English, watch Perfume Genius\u2019 set, to the audience to observing as old friends ran into each other and caught up between sets, conveyed the warmth and simple joy of the night. It was raw, occasionally awkward, and deeply affecting. Perfume Genius does not perform at you, but rather lets you quietly into his world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Madeline Jones Perfume Genius (aka Michael Hadreas) returned to Lincoln Theatre on March 31, 2026, for a performance that felt less like a traditional concert and more like an intimate, dimly lit, secret performance. Stripped down to Hadreas\u2019 angelic voice and the quiet \u2013 yet essential \u2013 presence of his husband and collaborator Alan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgetownradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgetownradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgetownradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgetownradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgetownradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=172"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgetownradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgetownradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions\/174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.georgetownradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgetownradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.georgetownradio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}