Beach House at The Criterion in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 12, 2025.
Photos and Review by The Pit Magazine Contributor Nicole Pollock
Whenever I get approved to shoot an artist I try to listen to their full discography before the show. As I worked through the albums of Beach House I was genuinely curious about how they would sound live. I have listened to Beach House for some time now, their music is so ethereal that I was questioning how they would be able to sound so beautiful in a live performance.
Beach House only has a few shows on this tour, luckily for me and the rest of the OKC area, The Criterion was one of their stops. This was a sold out show which did not surprise me at all. What did surprise me a little bit was how young the crowd was, especially considering that their debut album was released in 2006. As the venue was filling up the screen displayed text encouraging the audience to keep their volume down and refrain from using flashlights during the show. The photo policy was interesting for this show. I was approved to shoot the 4th, 5th, and 6th songs instead of the first 3, this was a first for me but I appreciate them keeping me on my toes!
I was in the balcony when Beach House started their set. The crowd was going crazy while I was standing there with my jaw on the floor, amazed at the quality of the live music they were delivering. If you think their music is beautiful on your playlist, you NEED to see them live. The echo-ey guitar of Alex Scally sounded like it was singing at times and filled the entire venue, reaching every corner of the room. Victoria Legrand’s voice was so gorgeous it was almost unbelievable. She plays one of the biggest parts of most Beach House songs which is the organ. I think I saw the drummer using mallets instead of drumsticks so the drums sounded rich, deep, and so full.
The music was absolutely amazing but the visuals were different from any concert I have been to. It was basically a faceless performance. There was no front lighting but there was plenty going on with the screen in the back and the lights from behind the musicians that had the 3 band members looking like silhouettes. The chandelier at the Criterion changed colors with their performance and the stage lighting had me feeling like a moth. It was almost like the lights and visuals were the show as we were wrapped in some of the prettiest live music I have ever heard. If you ever get the chance to see Beach House live, please please do. You will not regret it.
Photos by The Pit Magazine photographer Nicole Pollock in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ©2025.
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