Phyoe Thaung
Sep 30, 2026
Spinn moved easily between vulnerable songwriting and heavier moments, giving the early crowd a strong introduction to her live show.
Getting to a show early sometimes pays off. That was the case when Bailey Spinn opened Scene Queen’s Metalicious Tour at The Nile Theater in Mesa, Arizona, on September 29. Currently on the road alongside Scene Queen and Wargasm, Spinn had the first slot of the night and a relatively short window to introduce herself to the room.
She didn't waste much of it. Spinn came out smiling and quickly settled into the performance, moving around the stage and making eye contact with different sections of the crowd. Between songs, she kept things casual, talking and laughing with fans before jumping back into the set.
Her vocals carried much of the performance. Spinn's songs move between frustration, heartbreak and more upbeat moments, and those shifts came through clearly live. Rather than approaching every track with the same delivery, she adjusted with the material, particularly when the set moved into its more emotional songs.
That also carried into her cover of Sleeping With Sirens' “Better Off Dead.” Spinn has spoken about her connection to the song, and her version fit naturally alongside her own alt-rock material rather than feeling like a cover dropped into the set simply to get a familiar reaction.
The audience was already involved, too. For an opening set early in the night, there were plenty of people singing along, while others closer to the stage danced and moved with her throughout the performance. Spinn regularly acknowledged that response, keeping the interaction between the stage and floor going between songs.
The setlist gave the Mesa crowd a quick look at different points in her career. “happy ending,” one of Spinn's earlier releases, appeared alongside newer material including “start again,” allowing the short set to move between where her music began and what she's releasing now.
Despite those songs coming from different periods, the set stayed rooted in the same general alt-rock direction. Personal songwriting remained at the center, with heavier moments sitting next to songs that leaned further into melody.
Spinn also looked comfortable with the limitations of an opening slot. There wasn't much time for extended breaks or elaborate production, so the focus stayed on the songs and her interaction with the room. She danced across the stage, spoke directly to fans and kept the pace moving without trying to make the performance feel bigger than it was.
By the end of the set, the room had filled in and Spinn had given the Mesa crowd a compact introduction to her catalog. Some fans clearly arrived already knowing the words; others were getting their first look at her before the rest of the Metalicious Tour lineup took over.