Full moon, full MUNA

A full moon broke through the clouds overhead as a cool breeze moved across the lawn. By Saturday morning, a nor’easter would sweep through the region, canceling events throughout the Northeast. But that night, the breeze, clouds, and moonlight functioned as stage lighting as thousands gathered on the hill for a night that felt equal parts loving reunion, cathartic release, and completely unrestrained dance party.

Before setting off on tour, MUNA shared the difficult news that Naomi McPherson’s mother, Harriet, was losing her battle with cancer. The tour began with Lou Roy filling in for Naomi on MUNA’s first five dates. At the Philly show, it was unclear if Naomi would make their return, but we were hopeful. You could feel the significance before a note was played.

Opener hemlocke springs took the stage with an energy as electric as her hair color and immediately decided the entire Skyline Stage belonged to her. By the second song, she had the crowd joining in a guttural chant during “w-w-w-w-w.” Her bold, pounding drums seemed to pull people up the hill toward the stage, and within minutes, the lawn filled in.

Her recent single, “gloria!,” features a music video in which hemlocke springs appears as an ethereal warrior, complete with a sword and purple hair. She brought that same larger-than-life character to the stage, switching up props and personas from song to song.

Then came MUNA, who entered the stage to “It Gets So Hot,” lights strobing through the cloudy night. The full band appeared together, with Lou Roy alongside them. The crowd erupted. “Naomi is back!” The shout came from the barricade, but the sentiment seemed to come from everywhere. Fans lifted heart-shaped hands and signs into the air.

And as the night went on, that feeling of love moved through the crowd. The dance party that followed was fueled by favorites, including “Dancing on the Wall,” “Wannabeher,” and “On Call,” with the crowd joining for every word.

Then, almost as quickly as the party had started, everything softened.

The lights dimmed, and the four—McPherson, Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Roy—sat down for an acoustic set. Maskin reflected on the last time they played at The Met, opening for Phoebe Bridgers in 2023. “It’s unreal that all of these people are here for us now.”

From the stage, the crowd looked vast, but from the lawn, the sprawling Skyline Stage suddenly felt intimate. Before continuing, the band thanked the audience for their support amid the difficult, unexpected start to the tour.

“We are going to play one from the MUNA discog and… one of Lou’s songs,” Gavin announced.

Although Roy originally joined the tour as a fill-in, she no longer felt like a temporary addition. She moved with the same abandon as the rest of the band, whipping her hair around as she sang, matching MUNA’s energy with a boldness that made it easy to forget she hadn’t been part of the group from the beginning.

Then she took a moment to acknowledge exactly what the night meant to her.

“This is the hugest honor of my life,” Roy said. “Naomi is such a wizard up here, and the parts they play are NOT easy.” She thanked MUNA for their generosity in giving her this moment before revealing she was about to play something the audience had never heard before.

Roy performed her unreleased song, “Try,” with backing vocals from MUNA. As she belted out the closing lines, the three members of MUNA watched her with admiration. They weren’t simply accompanying her; they were visibly enamored and proud to share the stage.

For those few minutes, the concert’s energy narrowed down to four musicians sitting together. It was tender, a genuine moment of gratitude in the middle of a very big night.

And then Gavin broke the spell: “Once again, it’s time to party!”

Things quickly got unserious as MUNA’s inflatable horse Stacy, “a member of the family,” joined the crowd during “Anything But Me.” The crowd continued to unite during “Eastside Girls,” pumping their fists along with the band.

“It feels chemically good when we all do the same thing,” Gavin said.

A long encore wrapped the show, giving the crowd one more chance to hold onto the night. MUNA closed with “Silk Chiffon.” When McPherson took the second verse, the response was enormous. The crowd swelled around the sound of their voice.

“This has been an unforgettable show. We’ll never forget you. We couldn’t have picked a more perfect location for Naomi’s first show.”

Above them, the full moon slipped in and out of the clouds. The wind had picked up. Somewhere beyond the trees, the storm was still coming.

But for those few hours, it hadn’t arrived yet—only the music, the lights, a unified crowd, and a band celebrating being together again. MUNA turned a difficult return into an act of community: the audience wasn’t simply watching a band reunite; they were participating in the party.

Gavin signed off with, “Thank you, Philly! We’ll see you next summer!”

I can’t tell if it was the love in the air that made me hear it that way, but as we rolled into a cool and stormy weekend, I’m holding on to hope that we’ll be dancing on the wall again soon.