Alex G took the stage at Arizona Financial Theatre on Saturday night. The theater was already brimming with admiration. Hushed conversations floated through the haze. Fans murmured about how much his music had meant to them. How they’d cried to Headlights. Driven to “Treehouse.” Found strange comfort in the cryptic loops of DSU. There was a humming stillness. Like the air was waiting for something to disrupt it. Then he did. Through a fog-drenched stage, Alex G’s voice broke a soft crack. It wasn’t theatrical. It wasn’t loud. It was rather warm. Golden light washed over the stage in slow pulses.

Born Alex Giannascoli in Havertown, Pennsylvania. Alex G has built a following for his genre-shifting music. Once the internet's best-kept secret…now an indie rock mainstay. His music is a collage of lo-fi folk, deconstructed pop, and ambient sketches. All anchored by a lyrical style that feels personally opaque. That mystique carried into the Phoenix show. The set list offered a sprawling journey across his ever-mutating discography.

Opening with the eerie and slow-burning “Louisiana,” the show set a surreal tone. “Gretel” followed. One of Alex G’s most anthemic songs. The song’s layered vocals and distortion-heavy chorus drew the crowd into a shared trance. Next was “June Guitar.” Alex stepped offstage mid-song and returned cradling an accordion. Which he played for the remainder of the track. “Runner” hit with a nostalgic jolt. A simple melody with wistful lyrics about devotion. The crowd sang along in murmurs: “I have done a couple bad things…”

The set oscillated between chaotic bursts and stillness. “Brick,” “Horse,” and “Blessing” brought his noisier side to the forefront. Screamed vocals matched with warped textures. Bringing an energy that jolted the dreamers awake. “Beam Me Up” and “Afterlife” pulled things back into ambient melancholy. The feeling mirrored falling asleep with the TV on.

“Logan Hotel” and “Bounce Boy” highlighted Alex’s knack for weaving absurdity and sadness. Morphing them into something catchy. “Kute” and “Headlights” reminded us of his folk roots. Stripped-down moments of sincerity. During the encore, Alex G returned to the stage with a sly grin. Launching into a series of fan favorites. “Far and Wide,” “Sportstar,” among them. The night closed with radiation. A cover of “Life Is a Highway.” Unexpected, but extremely accepted among the sea of fans.

Alex G’s music resists definition. His lyrics often read like distorted diary entries. Lines like “God is my designer” or “People come and people go away / Yeah, but I stay” linger. In concert, those lyrics carried even more weight. Delivered with a sense of detachment and vulnerability. When the house lights came on after the final encore, no one rushed out. People lingered in the dissipating fog. Trying to hold onto the last traces of an unforgettable night.