Børns: A Shot of Dopamine at The Crystal Ballroom
October 5, 2025 - Portland, OR
The Crystal Ballroom is absolutely packed for Børns on a Sunday evening. Anyone in the crowd who wanted to escape for a quick drink or even to use the restroom was forced to wade through a ballroom that could barely budge an inch. This was the case not just during Børns’ own set, but prior to his set during set change and during the set of his opener, Courtney Farren.
Farren certainly knows how to make first impressions. Choral chanting filled the room as Farren made her way to the stage, preceded by hooded figures that looked like months. As the atmosphere shifted, a sort of reverence hovering over the audience, members of the crowd began murmuring in hushed tones, unsure of what kind of music the opener would play when- “Alright, cut it! Cut it, cut it, cut it-” Farren removed her hood as the stage lights of the ballroom flared, mystery now completely removed. This sort of humor would be commonplace in Farren’s set going forward. Rather than giving a long introduction to Portland before beginning with her first song, Farren quickly greeted the crowd with a “Hello Portland!” before singing “Mathematical.” The track feels mild mannered, with low-key synths and ambient sounds accompanying Farren’s lyrics filled to the brim with anaphora. Farren’s voice and lyrics sound melancholy despite her joyous greeting and her penchant for humor.
“My name is Courtney Farren, and your name is…” Farren held a beat for various names, but instead she was screamed at by the audience who declared: “Portland!” “I was expecting like, a John, a James,” Farren laughed. She twirled around the stage, showing off her outfit. “How do we feel about the flames suit?” Farren received rapturous “Woo’s!” in response. “I knew you’d get it. The real question is, can I stand in these shoes the whole time…” Farren then showed off her black platform boots. It’s unsurprising that Farren is only accompanied by an acoustic guitar and one other band mate as the stage could probably handle only one personality that large. This band mate will later be introduced as Charlotte Reed, Farren’s producer and best friend. “Well Portland,” Farren said, teeing herself up for her next track. “I think we’re gonna be really good friends.”
Courtney Farren opens for Børns at the Crystal Ballroom. Photo by Megan Lorich
Accompanied by her acoustic guitar, Farren did a quick cover of “We’re Going to Be Friends” by the White Stripes. Though the audience was encouraged to sing-a-long, most only hummed with the verses and sang its repeated chorus. Perhaps Farren sang the familiar and nostalgic tune to warm the audience up before her more existential songs. “Show of hands, who knows what’s going on in the world?” Farren asked the crowd. Barely anyone lifted a hand. “Well, I don’t! The world is scary. And confusing. I wrote this song in January of this year, it’s called ‘What Are We Doing?’” If you’re hoping to listen to this track yourself, it seems that Farren has yet to release it on streaming platforms. The sentiments of the song reflect the question posed in its title. Accompanied by a muted guitar intro, Farren compares the confusion of the past year to chickens with their heads cut off, questions the different points of view arising, and asks the title repeatedly – “What Are We Doing?” Farren seemingly gives a response in her next song, “Easier to Laugh.” While the song itself also asks tough questions and highlights Farren’s struggles, there remains a hopeful tone throughout the track. Rather than wrestling with self doubt, ruminating over what we’ve done wrong, or festering in rage, Farren thinks it would be easier to laugh. This is simple in theory, but difficult in practice, something that Farren clearly understands as she highlights the titular lyric with a sarcastic laugh. It’s clear why “What Are We Doing?” and “Easier to Laugh” were placed next to each other in the set based on the latter’s lyrics. This placement highlights Farren’s artistry and a clear understanding of how her work, well, works.
“We could all do with an extra dose of self love these days,” Farren says. She had been discussing how difficult the world is, fitting considering the previous two tracks. Her introduction of “Will I Ever Love Me,” the oldest song in her set, is yet another building block in her set that proves that Farren knows how to build on themes. While “Will I Ever Love Me” seemingly is not tied to the themes of “What Are We Doing?” and “Easier to Laugh,” it is imperative to hold true to oneself while navigating an ever changing world. Farren confirms to the audience that she has a better relationship with herself now, but believes that “It’s always good to ask that question again.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to just be able to cry?” Farren abruptly asks after “Will I Ever Love Me” concludes. “Ugh, I love a good cry,” Farren groans as the audience chuckles. While the name of the track was never spoken by Farren, she did confirm it was an unreleased track still in the works. She teaches the chorus to the audience, a line featuring heavy anaphora just like “Mathematical,” which the audience stumbles over a few times as she cues them in. In fact, Farren’s repeated use of anaphora, her writing style, and parts of her instrumentation remind her of another indie singer-songwriter with a rock edge named Courtney – Courtney Barnett. To any fans of Barnett that may be reading, giving Courtney Farren a try could lead to some killer tracks added into your rotation. “I’m Not Alone (I’m Lonely),” Farren’s most streamed song and also the closing song of her setlist is probably the best place to start.
Farren’s contagious humor and her constant volleying of the audience prove that she is not only a great musician, but an incredible entertainer. Though listening to openers may sometimes feel like a chore to audiences, Farren knows how to work a crowd to the point of at least looking her up on their phones. Her cover of Børns’ “Together Together” likely also swayed the audience, as many concert goers around me began cheering excitedly when she announced she was covering the song.
But nothing compares to the real deal. During the break before Børns’ performance, the crowd felt even tighter. This is no ordinary show for Børns. Rather than using this tour to promote a recent album, the artist is celebrating a decade since the album that put him on the map – Dopamine. The 2015 album has several tracks that casual listeners may recognize, but is most notably the host of his most iconic song “Electric Love.” While tracks from Dopamine are performed by Børns whenever he goes on tour, this is an opportunity for deeper cuts from the album to shine in the sun once again.
Børns makes a balloon animal coyote. Photo by Megan Lorich
Similarly to Farren, Børns arrived on stage with dramatic fanfare. Doused in green light, reminiscent of Dopamine’s aesthetics, and a loud bass intro, Børns performed some sleight of hand magic with a laser pointer. These sleight of hand tricks would continue throughout the night. Surprisingly, despite the marketing of the tour, Børns did not begin with a track off of Dopamine. Rather, the night started with “Seeing Stars,” a track by Børns that was released in 2015 but never made it onto his debut album. Børns remained at his synthesizer following the end of “Seeing Stars,” perfectly accompanying him as he loudly announced to the crowd: “Welcome to a decade of Dopamine!” This introduction served as the perfect sound board for tracks from the album to begin, with “Dug My Heart” officially reintroducing the album to the crowd.
The energy in the room was certainly hypnotic throughout “Dug My Heart,” but Børns’ rendition of “10,000 Emerald Pools” was when the energy in the room began to reach a level of excitement that it would, at the very least, maintain for the rest of the night. Switching over to electric guitar, Børns encouraged the crowd saying – “You gotta sing it with me!” “10,000 Emerald Pools” is one of the more recognizable songs off of Dopamine. The Crystal Ballroom is a unique venue, with a shaky floor that bends beneath the weight of concert goers despite being perfectly safe to dance on top of. The flexibility of the dance floor can sometimes lead to concerts feel like jumping on a trampoline, as concert goers unintentionally bump into each other like an accidental mosh pit. “10,000 Emerald Pools” was a very bouncy song, with its extended standing ovation punctuated with not just claps, but the stamping of feet on the ballroom floor.
“The word ‘Decade’ comes from the Greek word ‘Deca,’” Børns began, as the cheers from “10,000 Emerald Pools” finally subsided. “Now where have I heard that before, ‘Deca?’ Deck of cards?” Børns performed a quick card trick for the audience before returning back to his synthesizer, confirming that the magic tricks would be a recurring bit throughout the night. Magic was not a core theme or aesthetic of Dopamine, proving once again that Børns is breaking away from the album slightly despite honoring it on this tour. However, reinvestigating your own art is certainly warranted for a milestone as huge as ten years.
Børns returned to the synthesizer for the tour and album’s titular track, “Dopamine.” While Børns is clearly an instrumentalist, the strong suit of his musicality is his vocals. Despite falling more into alt-rock in terms of genre, it is abundantly clear that soul is a major influence on Børns’ work, particularly in terms of vocal stylings. The polished studio versions of Børns’ songs tuck away some of the rawness he expertly unleashes when performing. If there is a song that highlights how incredible Børns’ vocals are live, it’s probably the chorus of “Dopamine.” Tenor voices and falsetto can be difficult to wield even in terms of practice, let alone when it comes to performing. The theatrical sound that Børns goes for truly works when honoring Dopamine as an album and still works despite his voice maturing. The follow track in the set, “Overnight Sensation,” highlights Børns’ vocals in a more subdued way. With its “Oohs” lilting the audience to sway back and forth. It’s a trick that Børns seems to love to utilize in his songs, as “Clouds” also features “Oohs.” Rather than singing these “Oohs” throughout, Børns allows the audience to conclude the track themselves, blending both the non-lyrical vocals with the final refrain of the tune.
“Just gorgeous!” Børns exclaims as the audience finishes. He stares out across the Crystal Ballroom. “It’s so nice having this room filled up, it felt so lonely at sound check. And extremely echoey too.” Other artists have said this about the ballroom in the past. Its acoustics during soundcheck can feel like a cavern. “It’s weird to think that everyone here is absorbing the sound waves. It’s like we’re all buzzing, man.”
Speaking of buzzing, the next track in the set is off Børns’ latest release Honeybee. “Grateful For” is a song that reminds Børns of home. Bends in Børns’ guitar playing, acoustic instrumentation, and a dash of ambience give the track an almost Laurel Canyon feel. It’s a swift change in pace from Dopamine’s tracks, which can be pushed so far as to be described as glam rock. The differences between this new sound from Børns and Dopamine is reinforced, as “Grateful For” is followed by “Holy Ghost,” a bass heavy track that once again leans into soul influence. No introduction was needed for “Holy Ghost” and no outro was needed either. The song simply rings out through the ballroom, leaving the audience to dance and sing along.
Børns performs “American Money” at The Crystal Ballroom. Photo by Megan Lorich
“When I was about ten year’s old,” Børns begins as he grasps for a balloon. “I found myself all wrapped up in the abominably colorful art of balloon animals. I guess I was having my one decade crisis. I was pretty good though, I could make over a hundred different balloon animals.” A balloon animal begins to take form in Børns’ hands. “But sadly, they all looked like dogs, so.” How would this magic trick relate to Børns’ set this time? Well… “When I moved to LA, I would live in the hills, hearing the howling sound of the coyotes. Terrifying, yet oddly comforting.” Børns’ balloon coyote gives a couple small yips to the audience. “I decided to record the coyote noises to add to a song, to add to the atmosphere. Can anyone tell me what song I added those on?” “The Emotion!” everyone cried out. “The Emotion?” Børns pointed at an audience member who answered correctly. “Congratulations, you have won yourself a little coyote!” Coyote noises were not added to Børns’ performance of “The Emotion” at Crystal Ballroom, but the howling croons of everyone singing along to the heartbreaking ballad certainly made up for the missing noise.
Børns once again broke up Dopamine tracks by playing “Back to the Way We Was” off Honeybee and his first song of the night off of his 2023 album Suddenly, “Just In Case I Love You.” Even though these songs don’t have the same indie 2014 Tumblr stylings as Dopamine’s tracks, once again, Børns’ soul influence makes itself known. In comparison to “Grateful For,” these two tracks feel more in line with the overarching sound of Børns’ set.
Oh look! Another magic trick! This time Børns brings out a length of rope. “We have reached the point of the show known as the interlude. Anytime you hear Kristen use the conga, I have to use a different word. For example: the interlude,” Conga hit. “The intermission,” Conga hit. “A brief pause,” Conga hit. “Buying time,” Conga hit. Børns then launches into a story about joining the music industry at a young age. The allure of money as record executives encouraged him to sign. After his successful rope trick when introducing Kristen’s conga drum interruptions as a concept, he pulled out a wad of fake cash. He specifically describes the flow of cash, dividing the money over and over again, showing how it goes to different aspects of the industry, leaving plenty of money in the hands of executives, but less in the hands of the creatives that get them rich in the first place. “Here’s one for you, and one for me,” Børns explains. “And count them, one, two, three, four, five! For the industry!” The audience counts alongside him. It’s the perfect introduction for, in my opinion, one of the rockiest songs off Dopamine – “American Money.” The studio version of the track, as mentioned earlier, does feel more polished in the slick way pop music from 2015 trended towards. But performed live, there is grit not just in Børns’ voice, not just anger, but also a raw grit in its instrumentation. “Green like American Money!” the audience cries out throughout the chorus.
Only a few more songs were included in Børns’ mainline set including Dopamine closer “Fool,” “Past Lives,” and “Letting Myself Go” off Honeybee. “Past Lives” deserves special attention, as it had both the ability to capture audiences with its heartbreaking lyrics at the beginning of the song, to kicking the audience into high dancing gear as its instrumentation finally began in full force. It’s this kind of magic that has the audience, once again, stomping their feet as Børns and his band leave the stage. They chant Børns’ real name, “Garrett,” over and over again in hopes that he will come out for an encore. After all, Børns has yet to perform “Electric Love.” A track so overwhelming in his discography, that he’s labeled by some as a one hit wonder.
When Børns and his band return to the stage, they sing yet another song not off Dopamine. Concert goers are also ecstatic for this track, “Faded Heart,” off Dopamine’s follow-up Blue Madonna. It’s clear that “Faded Heart” is not only receiving love in its own right, with how loudly the audience is singing along to the track, but is meant to be a warm up for the show’s nightcap.
“Thank you! Very nice!” Børns says as concert goers conclude the song with him. “Will you join me for one more?” The intro to “Electric Love” trickles through the air and everyone loses their minds. While bouncing on top of the Crystal Ballroom floor can certainly make concert goers feel like they’re in a mosh pit, it does not necessarily harken the beginning of one. Well, one begins on the far side of the room. People jump up and down on the ballroom’s floors along to the beat, hard-wood turning into a trampoline. It’s a joyous moment clearly due to a song that means so much to so many. There are certain songs that feel like driving at night with the windows down, music blaring. “Electric Love” is one of those songs. A sort of time capsule of nostalgia, inspiration, and joy. It’s the very “lightning in a bottle” that the lyrics of the track reference. There simply would have been no other way for Børns to end the show.
Ten years of Dopamine. Ten years of “Electric Love.” Ten years since Børns’ official debut. A lot has changed since then, but the sounds of Dopamine remain ever electric, and Børns’ stances have only become more outspoken. On top of discussing the record industry, Børns made it clear to the audience that no AI was used on the tour or on merchandise. In his own words the tour is a “100% human show.” Børns’ statements on AI and capitalism, plus Farren’s comments on the state of the world, are just another example of how much has changed since Dopamine was released ten years ago. But Børns’ vocal stylings prove that even music from a time gone by can still bring us joy ten years later.
