MICO Brings His Toronto Charm to Houston
As soon as doors opened, fans rushed into White Oak Music Hall’s Upstairs room to secure their spots for MICO’s first show in Houston. The Filipino-Canadian singer who rose to prominence on TikTok, played three back-to-back shows in Texas starting in Dallas and ending in Houston, where he performed for a sold out crowd of screaming fans. If non-stop touring had any effect on him, you couldn’t tell by his performance. MICO gave his Houston fans a night full of laughter and pure energy, leaving them dancing until their feet hurt.
Photo Cr: Andy Cantu
It’s rare that a crowd loves an opener almost as much as they love the headliner, but fans were obsessed with Haiden Henderson from the minute he stepped on stage to the second he left. The entire front row sang along to every song, knowing all the lyrics by heart. Haiden thanked the crowd for their support by interacting with them multiple times and even dedicating his song “good side” to a random audience member, making her feel extra special.
Fans screamed the minute the lights dimmed and the band started playing their intro. All eyes were on the stage door as they waited for MICO to step out and sing the opening to “glhf<3.” While MICO had toured in the US before, the Cancel Your Plans Tour was the first to include shows in Texas, so Houston fans had been waiting years to see him live, and he did not disappoint. The setlist was filled with energetic punk-pop songs, both old and new, that showcased his impressive guitar playing skills and his melodic vocals.
One of the highlights was his performance of “Senses,” an unreleased song from his upcoming album, Internet Hometown Hero. MICO revealed to fans that the song was very special to him, something that was evident in his powerful yet vulnerable performance that had fans resonating with every lyric.
Photo Cr: Andy Cantu
The intimate venue led to a lot of personalized interactions between MICO and his fans. Some audience members were actually Canadians who had followed MICO’s tour. This led to a very amusing battle between Houston fans who chanted USA and a Canadian fan who responded by singing the Canadian national anthem. Fans were also able to give MICO and the band gifts, including a t-shirt that the drummer wore the whole show and a cowboy hat that MICO tried on before jokingly playing the opening of “Sweet Home Alabama.”
Apart from playing his own music, MICO showed off his versatility by playing two covers. The first was a cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste,” which he was able to make his own by giving the catchy, pop track a pop-punk edge. The second was a cover of We The Kings’ late 2000s classic, “Check Yes, Juliet.” After jokingly declaring that he could mess up the covers and not feel bad because they weren’t his songs, he messed up the second verse, laughing along with the audience as he easily slipped back in for the chorus.
Photo Cr: Andy Cantu
His ability to turn a forgotten lyric into a charming inside joke with the audience was not MICO’s only show of professionalism. Throughout the show, things on stage kept going wrong, including guitars not sounding the way they were supposed to and equipment needing to be switched out, but MICO handled every obstacle like a pro. If something needed to change during a song, it was changed while the band kept playing and MICO kept singing as if everything was going according to plan.
Photo Cr: Andy Cantu
Towards the end of the show, MICO had a heart to heart with the audience as he talked about his humble beginnings and ever growing career. He talked to fans about how he started playing music after picking up his older brother’s discarded guitar and how it somehow led to him opening for a bigger artist on a later tour. It was a sweet moment that fans will think back to when they see him perform in bigger venues as his career progresses.
All good things must come to an end and MICO ended the show with the fan favorite, “cut my hair.” Fans eagerly sang along to every word and continued to cheer long after he had left the stage. While he didn’t come back for an encore, he did stay for another hour to take pictures with fans and sign anything they wanted him to sign.