01 March 2026 | Trees
Dallas, TX
On Sunday, March 1st, 2026, Lights played a sold-out show at one of my favorite venues in Deep Ellum, Trees. As someone who’s been following her music and a fan for over a decade, I'm talking 2009 Warped Tour with Ice as a Myspace profile song, getting to photograph a night of the Come Get Your Girl Tour was an absolute dream come true.
Opener: Softcult
Softcult, a Canadian alternative indie band, opened the show and honestly set the vibe perfectly. Their dreamy, grunge sound filled the room in that hazy way that makes a venue like Trees feel even more atmospheric. It was the kind of opener that doesn’t just warm up the crowd, it pulls everyone into the mood for what the night has to offer. Their set balanced distortion and vulnerability, and lead singer Mercedes Arn-Horn had the crowd vibing to songs off their debut album when a flower doesn't grow.
When Lights finally came out on stage with Stefan and Brodie Tavares and kicking things off with “Come Get Your Girl,” the room exploded immediately. From there, she rolled straight into “River,” “Ghost Girl on First,” and “Running With the Boys,” which felt like such a good mix of newer material from A6 and songs longtime fans have carried with them for years. Hearing an entire room sing those lyrics back never gets old.
One of my favorite moments was the “Timing Is Everything / Flux and Flow / We Were Here” medley. If you’ve been listening to Lights for a long time, those songs carry a lot of memories with them, and hearing them flow together like that felt really special. It was one of those moments where the crowd got a little louder because everyone realized what was happening.
A pivotal part of the night can be described in two words, GAMING CHAIR. “Batshit,” from her Dead End EP with MYTH, went incredibly hard live, and the energy just kept building through “Final Round” and “Piranha.” Followed by throwing paper planes into the crowd during "Learning To Let Go".
Then things slowed down for “Long Live,” which she performed solo. It was easily one of the most emotional moments of the night. Lights has always been really good at creating that feeling where it’s less like you’re watching a performer and more like you’re sharing a moment with someone who’s been part of your life soundtrack for years.
The back half of the set kept that momentum going with what felt like a religious experience of “Prodigal Daughter,” and a really fun surprise cover of "Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From the Team)" by Taking Back Sunday that got a huge reaction from the crowd. It felt like a little nod to the overlapping scenes a lot of us grew up listening to and as an "elder emo" I was LIVING FOR IT.
By the time she closed the main set with “Alive Again,” the crowd was already chanting for more. The encore with “Up We Go” was one of those classic moments where the entire room just sings every word together. Ending the night with “Education” was the perfect final burst of energy.
What made this show special wasn’t just the setlist, though it was a really great one, it was how it felt like a celebration of every era of Lights and the crowd interaction. For fans who’ve just found her, to the one's who've been around since the early days, it was a reminder of how much her music has evolved while still keeping that same heart that made people fall in love with it in the first place.
Walking out of Trees at the end of the night, everyone looked exhausted, and ridiculously happy, I know I sure was!
