After recently releasing his self-titled debut studio album and deluxe, Malcolm Todd goes back on the road for Part 2 of the “Wholesome Rockstar Tour.” The long-awaited and highly anticipated stop at The Fillmore Charlotte took place on Sept. 16. The sold-out crowd lined up for hours, wrapping around the block, eager to hear their favorite songs live.
Known for his blend of alternative and indie sounds with R&B influences and addictive guitar melodies, singer-songwriter Malcolm Todd has a unique signature style of his own. “Malcolm Todd” by Malcolm Todd was released on April 4, 2025. Fueled by the overwhelming support, just a few months later, on Aug. 22, the deluxe “Malcolm Todd (still)” added four new tracks.
The Two Lips
Fans quickly filled the venue to hear an opening performance by The Two Lips. The LA-based duo features best friends Andrea Flowers and Jewlz Gurule, who create indie dream/bedroom pop music together. Their set included singles like “clue,” “still love you (todavía)” and the unreleased “play” accompanied by drummer Lucy Ritter. Every song had seamlessly blended vocals and was paired with a cute little dance. The two even covered “No One Noticed” by The Marías on the Omnicord. The set was playfully fun and perfectly showcased their personality and charm.
Malcolm Todd
Before hitting the stage, Malcolm decided to briefly go live on Instagram to show him getting ready. As he just turned 22 the day before, the audience sang him Happy Birthday loud enough so he could hear it backstage.
Joined by bandmates Luke Tyler Shelton, Asher Kartman, Tommy de Bourbon and Charlie Ziman, Malcolm Todd kicked off the night with “Harry Styles,” the first track on his new album. The song encapsulates his self-awareness as an emerging artist in the industry. A standout lyric is, “I didn’t get picked for Flog Gnaw,” referring to Tyler, the Creator’s music festival. As a full-circle moment, Malcolm changes the line when playing it live as he is officially in the lineup this year.
He followed with “Make Me a Better Man,” which had the crowd headbanging in unison. Next is “Bleed,” a collaboration featuring Omar Apollo, an artist that Malcolm previously opened for. The audience sings Apollo’s verse word-for-word when the microphone is held out towards them. A fun song that was released as part of the deluxe is “Zip Up My Fly.” After hearing it live, it instantly climbed my personal rankings.
The middle of the setlist shuffled in some notable tracks from his “Sweet Boy” mixtape, including “Earrings,” “4Me 4Me,” “Mr. Incorrect” and “Sweet Boy.” The 2023 project introduced many to Malcolm’s sound and helped build his growing following. He continued to perform discography deep cuts, including “Starstudded” and “Hesitating” from his first EP, “Demos Before Prom,” for longtime fans.
Malcolm moves into the acoustic portion of the performance, starting with “You Owe Me,” a track that fans have highly requested to add to the setlist since Part 1 of the tour. The emotion in this song created an intimate feel in the room. Following that, he performed “Original” where the band joined back in midway.
My personal favorite song is “Florence” as it portrays yearning and heartache. Doubling down on the themes of yearning is “Cheer Me On,” where the audience gets to unleash their energy during the guitar solo. Lastly, his viral TikTok song “Chest Pain (I Love)” had the whole room passionately singing along.
As Malcolm and the band exit the stage, “I Do” plays. It is a raw recorded tribute duet with his mother, who wrote the song, and features his uncle as well. A few moments pass, and as the crowd cheers, they return for an encore. “I’ll Come Back For You” is the closing track on his album, with a vulnerable and melancholy but warm feel. To finish is the most-streamed song from his “Sweet Boy” mixtape, “Roommates.” He tells everyone, “This is the last 30 seconds of the concert… if you don’t jump, then just go home.” The entire room follows Malcolm’s lead and jumps to the beat while cheering, ending the concert with high energy.
Hearing Malcolm Todd perform live gave new life to the songs that go platinum in my headphones. The entire concert felt like a core memory and overall embodied the term “wholesome rockstar.” Compared to when I saw Malcolm earlier this year on May 12 in Silver Spring, M.D., his growth and confidence as a performer are significant and impressive. He is set to continue this leg of his tour along the East Coast and end in Europe. I, along with many other fans, am excited to see what comes next for Malcolm Todd.
More photos can be found on Instagram @lylan.b
— Lylan Bui