LIVE IN CONCERT: DUNE MOSS

I saw Dune Moss over the weekend. It was, in a word, transcendent. I’m pretty sure at one point my soul left my body, and I watched myself watch the concert.

Singers like Dune make me believe in fairytales. When you see her perform live, you leave this world behind and enter into the Realm of the Fae, a world separate from our own where magic is real and time is distorted. The outside world melts away, and the only thing that exists to you in that moment is her presence on stage.

Even with a stripped down set, there is an ethereal quality to the music. Everything seems like a vaguely haunted dream. Dune’s voice hypnotizes you like a siren song, holding you in a trance for the duration of each song, if not her entire set. At times, especially during her songs “Floating Away” and “Growing Sideways,” it felt like a haze I didn't even realize was there had been lifted from my eyes, and I was finally seeing for the first time in my life. I don’t think I even blinked. Luckily for us, Dune is a benevolent spirit and wishes to merely entertain and uplift, her intentions pure.

Dune’s voice, outside of its hypnotic nature, is her greatest strength. It’s so strong that I’m not sure it would matter if those accompanying her were playing in tune because her voice would simply overpower the dissonance, drowning it out. Her vocal range is unmatched. If there are any comparisons to be had, I’d say she’s the fairy version of "cellophane” by FKA twigs combined with Blanco White.

If there was one dark spot on the night, it was the brief tension when Dune suggested that Santa Claus might not exist before realizing that children, many of which might still believe in Santa, were in the audience. The tension was palpable. But I think she saved it? I didn’t interview any of the children in the audience nor was the almost-mishap followed by any crying, so I think we're good.