10.31.26 - Austin, TX
Halloween night brought out the costumes, the energy, and plenty of reasons to dance as Mr. Fantasy took the stage for a night that felt less like a traditional concert and more like one giant Halloween party. With Austin local DJ Kobi Beef kicking things off, the crowd was already in full celebration mode before the headliner even made his appearance.
Photo by DeAnna Garza - @shotbydeanna
Dressed as the Joker, Kobi Beef wasted no time getting the night moving. As fans rolled into the venue, the DJ set had the crowd dancing, cheering, and chanting along. Pulling off his coat to reveal the rest of his costume only added to the excitement, especially as the crowd began chanting his name. “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” by Michael Jackson had practically everyone moving on their feet, but when “Thriller” came on, the energy reached another level. The crowd’s movements became just as over-the-top as the Halloween festivities themselves. Loud claps and cheers followed as Kobi brought his set to a close, leaving the room warmed up and ready for what was next.
The Halloween spirit carried throughout the audience, with fans arriving in costumes and an almost endless number of Mr. Fantasy lookalikes scattered throughout the crowd. The anticipation quickly turned into an eruption of cheers the second Mr. Fantasy stepped onto the stage. Opening with “Catapult” before moving into “Wayuwanna,” he immediately established the kind of atmosphere the night would carry from beginning to end: loud, playful, and impossible to stand still through. Starting the night in a white robe, Mr. Fantasy eventually tore it away to reveal an outfit consisting of little more than boots and underwear, leaning fully into the playful, theatrical spirit of the evening.
Photo by DeAnna Garza - @shotbydeanna
By the fourth song, “Thriller” gave his singers their own moment in the spotlight, adding another layer to an already lively performance. Mr. Fantasy made a point of bringing the show beyond the stage, repeatedly jumping down to get up close and personal with fans on barricade. Whether he was dancing along with the crowd or getting down on the floor alongside his guitarist, there was never much distance between the performer and the audience. Every guitar solo brought another wave of cheers, while the crowd seemed more than happy to turn the entire venue into a dance floor.
The performance wasn’t without its slower moments. “Honey” offered a chance to catch a breath and sway along, with hands raised in the air as the room settled into a different kind of energy. But that breather didn’t last long.
His debut song, “Mr. Fantasy,” brought the excitement right back up, with the audience meeting the performance with an overwhelming response. Yet some of the night’s most memorable moments came from the interactions that made the show feel so personal. Spotting a fan in a homemade Patrick Star costume, Mr. Fantasy called him out, brought him onto the stage, and shared a dance and hug with him. It was exactly the kind of unexpected moment that made the night feel less like a performance and more like a celebration shared between everyone in the room.
Photo by DeAnna Garza - @shotbydeanna
Taking time to introduce his band, Mr. Fantasy made sure the people sharing the stage with him received their recognition, too. Before the night came to a close, he also left the audience with a reminder to love one another and, just as importantly, love themselves. It was a heartfelt sentiment tucked into a night otherwise filled with dancing, laughter, and plenty of chaos.
A fan-supplied cowboy hat made its way onto his head as the show approached its end, providing one last memorable image before he left the stage. But the crowd wasn’t quite ready to call it a night. Chants for an encore filled the space, bringing Mr. Fantasy back out for one final performance of “One Last Night.” Hands swayed in the air as the audience soaked up the last moments of the evening, reluctant to let the Halloween festivities end.
Photo by DeAnna Garza - @shotbydeanna
Even after the final song, Mr. Fantasy continued making time for the people who had come out to see him, stopping to take quick photos with fans as he made his way offstage.
From Kobi Beef’s Joker-inspired DJ set to a headlining performance that turned the entire pit into a Halloween dance party, the night was built around one thing: having fun. Costumes, crowd participation, unexpected onstage moments, and an artist who never seemed to run out of energy made for an evening that felt just as much about the people in the room as the music coming from the stage. Halloween is a night for stepping outside the ordinary, and Mr. Fantasy gave the crowd every reason to do exactly that.
