REVIEW: Magdalena Bay @ The Fillmore

Oct 30, 2025 Alana Beltran

WRITTEN BY: Alana Beltran

PHOTOS BY: Alana Beltran

On Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, the duo Magdalena Bay performed an entrancing show at the Fillmore and left the packed venue flying off their feet with a set that was one for the books.

The synth-pop duo, originally from Miami, FL, took their second stop in Philadelphia this year on the last USA and Canada lay of their “Imaginal Mystery Tour,” which began in late April of 2025. Fans were ecstatic to find out that new show dates had been added to 17 cities, with Philadelphia being the last stop.

Fans lined the streets for nearly three blocks, waiting in the cold, windy October air just to get inside. Since the beginning of the tour and in promotion of the group’s sophomore album “Imaginal Disc,” lead singer Mica Tenenbaum has been painting the upper part of her face a light blue and wearing white sheer slips throughout the entire tour. And so, fans did the same to pay homage to the indie singer.

Tenenbaum took to Instagram hours before the show, sharing that fans could also have their faces painted at the show with a special event just for those who attended the Philly show.

The singer wrote “PHILLY!! To celebrate the last show on the tour, we’re gonna have some special stuff tonight: True Blue face painting station, silent disco where you can listen to some stuff, and merch customization with American Apparel, where you can add some cool stuff to your merch.”

And with that, as soon as the doors opened, fans raced inside to get their faces painted and wait in a line for the merch table that wrapped into the concert hall.

Oh yeah, and that “stuff” Tenenbaum was saying fans could listen to?

That was just two of Magdalena Bay’s unreleased songs!

At around 8:00 p.m., opener Oxis took to the stage with just a synth, guitar and her enchanting vocals. Oxis has garnered much attention over the past two years with her electronic sound and mermaid-like vocals that push the boundaries of electronic-pop. Much of her discography and lyricism pays homage to, well, fish. Oxis played some of her most popular fish-friendly songs like “Flounder,” “Long Sardine x Kids” and “Piranha.”

Before this set, I had never heard of the name “Oxis,” but fans at the barricade were in a fish frenzy for her siren-like sounds. And after a short, but sweet 30-minute set, I, too, will be another Oxis fan —or, as she likes to call them, Fish Food.

When Oxis finished her set, fans were pumped and ready for Magdalena’s show. And when the crew brought out their set, it looked like something straight out of the board game Candy Land.

It was full of so much imagination and whimsy, similar to Magdalena’s album.

They opened the show with the first song off of Imaginal Disk “ She Looked Like Me!.”

Tennenbaum spent most of her time dancing and bouncing across the eclectic stage wearing a holographic, royal blue jumpsuit. Her connection with the audience was unmatched as the lighting and set design made it feel like we were being taking along for a magical, mystery ride. Throughout the entire show, the set had holograms that changed and displayed new images for each song. For example, in their song “Top Dog,” the projectors played videos of dog’s running in fields, and it reminded me of a early 2000’s Y2K edit.

Her energy radiated through every song and she had three costume changes throughout the night which reflected the themes and emotions of the songs. The majority of her set consisted of songs from Imaginal Disk like “Angel on a Satellite,” “Death & Romance,” “Love is Everywhere” and my personal favorite “Cry for Me.”

The production itself was beautiful and the heavenly vocal work and complex chord progressions of the band truly brought the show together. Tenenbaum absolutely shredded on her white keyboard guitar which looked unbelievably cool.

The duo signed off on the American leg of the tour with “The Beginning,” the final song on their first album, Mercurial World. And honestly, it was the perfect way yo end a show.

If you ever have the chance to see Magdalena Bay, be sure to check out their magical, mystical and mysterious world.

SET LIST:

She Looked Like Me!

Killing Time

True Blue Interlude

Image

Secrets (Your Fire)

You Lose!

Death & Romance

Fear, Sex

Vampire in the Corner

Watching T.V.