Turning On the Crowd: FLETCHER at the Wonder Ballroom
Pop singer-songwriter and certified Lesbian Icon FLETCHER made the crowd swoon with her sold out set at Portland’s Wonder Ballroom on February 25th. Words by Bren Swogger and photos by Emma Davis.
It wasn’t even a full verse into the first song of the set that a bra flew up from the crowd, soaring through the air to land at the feet of Cari Fletcher.
This wasn’t to be an isolated incident either. The pop singer-songwriter—known mononymously by her last name FLETCHER—holds an immense power over her fanbase, who showed out in droves to sell out Portland’s Wonder Ballroom on February 25th.
FLETCHER has become something of a Lesbian Icon in the LGBTQ and pop hemisphere. And the appeal is clear. Dressed to the nines in high-waisted slacks and a cropped blazer, she strutted the stage with a suave presence, every movement and look shot into the crowd earning a spattering of swoons and screams.
FLETCHER is well aware of her power as well, taking in every moment and sipping it slowly as she crooned through a set of 18 songs.
She formally introduced herself on “Cherry”, her single collaboration with fellow Lesbian Icon Hayley Kiyoko, mashed up the song “Fuck You for Ruining New York City for Me” with a rousing cover of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever,” and played through the entirety of her latest EP, THE S(EX) TAPES.
But after S(EX) TAPES track “Feel”, FLETCHER needed to take a moment to address something very personal to her—a goal she made for herself as she hit the road for this latest U.S. tour: she wanted to sign a pair of boobs at every show.
“Let’s get the lights up and choose a contender,” she shouted from the stage. As the lights came up inside the venue, so too did half the shirts in the room.
FLETCHER screeched: “There’s nipples everywhere!”
Descending from the stage to the aisle through the middle of the crowd, FLETCHER looked around, eyes falling on the sea of fans and boobs that surrounded her.
“Oh my god, I’m so gay,” she stammered.
Signing boob after boob as she made her way through the crowd, more fans pushed toward the aisle, hoping to be graced with a signature on their own chest. But FLETCHER only had so much time to live her dream before she made her way back to the stage to finish her set.
“Speaking of sex and titties,” she said, returning to the mic, “this one’s called ‘Sex (With My Ex)’.”
Fans screamed along to the words, some with freshly signed chests, possibly making plans in their mind on when to get it tattooed in place. And FLETCHER, closing out her set with rock anthem “Bitter”, vocals soaring, continuously proved her appeal as a pop performer and swoon-worthy icon amongst the crowd.
Bren Swogger (they/them) is the creator and editor of Indie/Alt Magazine. Bren started Indie/Alt as a music blog during their sophomore year of high school, and after a long hiatus, relaunched it as an online entertainment magazine in 2021 for their capstone project at Pacific University. After 10 years in the music journalism industry, Bren has a long-standing passion for live music, but also loves to explore their passion for other artistic outlets. You can find Bren writing voraciously, adding to their never-ending stack of TBRs, and marathoning classic horror films.
Emma Davis is a photographer for Indie/Alt Magazine and long-time best friend of editor/creator Bren Swogger. Emma and Bren have been collaborating within the music journalism industry for years, first with Vortex Music Magazine then with Indie/Alt. A graduate from University of Oregon, you can find her writing stories for the Happy Valley News, crying to Taylor Swift, or watching UNHhhh with her girlfriend.