In the heart of downtown Phoenix, Lucius transformed the intimate space of the Crescent Ballroom. Straight into something far beyond a venue. The date marked November 11th. The indie-pop duo formed by Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig brought their kaleidoscopic harmonies, and magnetic performance style to a sea full of eager fans. The night was an immersive experience. One that felt instantly like stepping inside the beating heart of the most brilliant art installation. A full moment of luminous red light and desert heat.

Lucius, originally from Brooklyn, now based in Los Angeles, has built their reputation on rich vocal interplay, bold visual identity. Their music is known to blur the line between the retro and the futuristic. Their sound is a lush fusion of synth-pop, soul, and psychedelic folk. Ethereal and grounded with harmonies so tight they seem telepathic. Lyrically, they explore emotional honesty, the complexities of love, identity, and creative partnership. Their discography is nothing short of an absolute gift of songs that ache and shimmer.

As red leather boots hit the stage, the energy in the room was electrifying. Fans of all ages. Some longtime followers, others newly enchanted by their latest work packed the room. Each person visibly caught in the orbit of Wolfe and Laessig’s twin-like symmetry. Their stage presence is hypnotic: two voices moving as one, mirroring gestures, facing one another across a pair of keyboards that anchor their sound and visual dynamic. A type of symmetry that blows your senses wide open.

The set design transported the audience straight into a surreal desert dreamscape. The floor of the stage glowed a vivid red. Matched by a crimson backdrop that pulsed with the music. Two towering white cacti framed the stage like silent guardians. While a glowing television flickered with desert distortion. Giving a mirage of color and static. Scattered throughout were domestic relics rendered strange and sacred: a white mailbox, a red-lit lamp, a vase on a pedestal. The effect was otherworldly. All giving the feeling that the audience had a lucky invite into Lucius’ collective imagination.

The duo’s matching scarlet outfits were embroidered with white stitching of the very objects adorning the stage. Tying the entire visual world together. The wardrobe was just another living extension of the set. Every movement felt choreographed to the music’s heartbeat. Every visual choice deliberate yet natural. When fingers left the keys, they banged on drums or met in perfect symmetry at the front of the stage. The two frontwomen’s voices were heard soaring in layered unison.

The setlist was a sweeping journey through Lucius’ catalog. They opened with “Final Days.” A track full of urgency. “Gold Rush” shimmered with bittersweet energy. A meditation on change and the impermanence of glory. The emotional core deepened with “Hallways” and “24.” Both songs were intimate explorations of memory and time. While “Stranger Danger” added a playful yet eerie edge. “Dusty Trails” and “Until We Get There” were moments of pure transcendence. 

“Tempest” and “Joyride” turned the set energy stormy and ecstatic. The rhythm section and harmonies collided in a euphoric swirl. “Nothing Ordinary” reminded the audience that Lucius’ greatest strength lies in their ability to balance theatricality with authenticity.

The night unraveled with “Mad Love.” The hauntingly beautiful “Two of Us on the Run,” reached out for us to hold tight to. Wolfe and Laessig stood side by side. Bathed in light. Their harmonies weaving through the air like a single voice split in two. Though this felt like the perfect ending, the duo gifted the audience with a cover of R.E.M’s “Everybody Hurts.”  By the end, It felt like Lucius had built a world, invited us inside, and left us transformed. A radiant, rhythmic, red-lit fever dream.