LIVE REVIEW: EMEI – NIGHT AT THE OPERA TOUR @ BUCKHEAD THEATRE, ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 24, 2026

The pain! The gag! The drama! Eager fans packed into Buckhead Theatre for Emei’s Night at the Opera Tour, buzzing with excitement for an evening of theatrical flair, high-energy dancing, self-described petty (yet undeniably fun) anthems, and deeply raw emotional moments. True to its title, the production was structured like a full-scale dramatic opera. Complete with distinct acts, masked dancers, and heavier, rock-infused renditions of her catalog, the show had the entire room jumping from the get go.

The night opened strong with Madelline, a Vaudeville-inspired pop artist who set the evening’s theatrical wheels in motion early. Her set kicked off with her own voice echoing over the speakers, introducing herself as the night’s musical guest before introducing her music director, who strutted out holding a setlist and a water bottle to show off to the crowd. Madelline then made her entrance sporting a lace parasol, strutting across the stage before revealing herself right on a beat hit. Most of her set had spoken introductions detailing the inspiration behind her tracks or imaginative props or both. For “Crazy Bitch,” a crew member dressed in a white lab coat ran out to tie her to an “electric chair” for the song’s finale, while “Pink Lemonade” saw her singing through a megaphone. During “Training Wheels,” she put her incredible vocal prowess on full display, which was a particularly impressive feat given her constant choreography. Another highlight came when she brought out her flute, affectionately named “Flutatious,” for “Happy as Hell.” She wrapped her set with her viral hit “dopamine,” delivering the “French + English” version where the second verse and chorus flipped seamlessly into French. It served as a high-energy primer for the headliner to come and was an ideal sonic complement.

When it came time for Emei’s set, the house lights dimmed as two masked dancers glided onto the stage. The backing band broke into a hard-hitting rock intro for “Night at the Opera” before Emei ran out, delivering the title track in all its theatrical glory. The momentum stayed high for “That Girl,” and the dancers reemerged holding “Act I” signs right before “Irresistible” to fully lean into the operatic narrative. There was also a call-and-response section with “Irresistable,” getting the audience even further hyped.

Pausing a moment, Emei addressed the room to share how thrilled she was to immerse everyone in this world of characters, urging the audience to scream until they lost their voices before launching into a self-proclaimed “oldie but goodie,” “Late to the Party.” Throughout the set, each song came paired with context and tongue-in-cheek bits. She shared that “Noah” was penned about a guy who memorized lines from The Notebook to pick her up, while “You Are Bad” had the entire crowd chanting along at full volume. After singing the lines “Hey, did you block me on Instagram? / And I’m like, ‘Yeah,'” Emei froze dramatically on stage to drive the point home. Her dancers frantically tried to revive her by waving their hands and “playing” the backing band’s instruments before she snapped back to life in full force.

The rage and energy kept rolling with another call-and-response section during “Crazy Stupid Love.” Stepping over to the drum kit for “Backtrack,” Emei joined drummer Max Meizlish to “get her rage out by hitting something,” pounding along on the cymbals for a joint drum solo. “Human Being” brought even more dancing, strobe lighting, and a massive instrumental breakdown that ended in a sudden blackout. When the lights came back on, Emei was suddenly standing right in the center of the crowd, prompting immediate and excited cheers (from people who did not notice her emergence in the blackout). Emei then asked everyone to sit on the floor and light up the room with their phone flashlights for an intimate performance of “Dear Emily.” The emotion continued as she spoke candidly about her close bond with her late grandmother, dedicating the next song to her before delivering a moving performance of “Ginger Tea” interwoven with a snippet of “Tian Mi Mi” as she navigated her way back onto the main stage.

The tempo came right back up with “9 Lives,” leading into a moment where Emei expressed her excitement for the recent Night at the Opera EP while acknowledging how brutal the past year had been between navigating the loss of her grandmother and close friends, betrayal, and even a getting shingles. Reminding the crowd that time heals all, she launched into “Bloom,” dropping down onto the barricade to connect face-to-face with fans. The dancers then emerged with “Act II” signs as Emei noted that this was her very first time performing the next track live following its official release, a milestone met with prolonged applause. Following that song, “Regularly Scheduled Program,” she took another beat to express how special it felt hearing a room full of people sing those brand-new lyrics back to her for the first time.

From that moment on, the set was all bangers. “Molly” was introduced with a bit of interactive crowd work where Emei asked who in the room was in need of positive energy. Singling out a fan named Olivia, she led the venue in repeating manifestations to Olivia before dedicating the track to her. The room stayed loud and hyped for “Love Me Not,” while “711” saw giant balloons dropped into the crowd to be bounced around the floor. Asking if the audience was ready for another “petty” song, she launched into “Better People To Leave On Read,” which had the room screaming every word (most notably screaming the line “Fire your therapist”). She then noted that “Scatterbrain” was recently featured on the popular TV series Off Campus before performing it, and then ended the main set on a dramatic note with the rock-infused “Cynical.”

Following a lot of cheers, Emei reemerged for a high-energy encore, launching into “What’s the Point!” before seamlessly reprising “Night at the Opera.” Complete with sharp choreography, it brought the evening’s narrative full circle. Buckhead Theatre emptied out into the night satisfied, having experienced an evening of pure theatricality, tactful dancing, and cathartic emotional release.

Emei Photo Gallery

Madelline Photo Gallery

Setlist

• Night at the Opera
• That Girl
• Irresponsible
• Late to the Party
• Noah
• You Are Bad
• Crazy Stupid Love
• Backtrack
• Human Being
• Dear Emily
• Tian Mi Mi / Ginger Tea
• 9 Lives
• Bloom
• Regularly Scheduled Program
• Molly
• Love Me Not
• 711
• Better People To Leave On Read
• Scatterbrain
• Cynical
• What’s the Point!
• Night at the Opera (Reprise)

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Live photography by Anna Daugherty for No Flash Needed. © 2026 No Flash Needed. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without written permission.