Imagine a tiny venue, a Canadian-Filipino punk-pop artist, and a lot of cool merchandise. Luckily, those who attended the MICO concert at Space Ballroom in Hamden don’t have to imagine it.

The intimate venue brought lots of surprises and laughs during the sets from both opener vaultboy and headliner MICO. Though the set was shorter than most shows, only spanning about 75 minutes, it was a glorious time at that.

MICO integrated AI into his set, using the technology “MAICO” as the manager of the show. Using the computer-generated voice to pick his surprise cover song, move along the set, and voice opinions as comedic relief. Though AI is usually shunned, this use was tasteful and brought an interesting approach to an already highly anticipated show.

Playing a mix of straight bangers, MICO revved up the crowd with throwbacks such as “Bye Bye Bye” by N*SYNC, “One Track Mind” by close friend Haiden Henderson, and various songs by One Direction. All of this was to introduce the very talented opener, vaultboy.

Before becoming vaultboy, singer Jeremiah Daly released folk-style music until 2020 when he made the ultimate switch. His debut single, “everything sucks,” gained a lot of traction on TikTok and allowed his other works to skyrocket. Those other works being “i wish u knew,” “rocket science” and “what do i know.”

Vaultboy has songs of varying styles like upbeat pop tunes, gentle ballads, and others conveying deeper, more ominous themes. Though most of the audience had not yet heard of the performer, the crowd was very captivated by vaultboy’s laid-back style.

He was battling with a lost voice and a little bit of a cold. Regardless, the show went on smoothly as the singer himself profusely apologized for the voice cracks and kept mentioning to audience members, “You guys are too sweet, thank you,” in between each song. With the crowd swaying and singing along to the more popular songs, vaultboy proved to be an amazing opener.

Then there was the captivating main event, the high-energy pop-punk artist taking emotional and relatable songs to another level.

Starting as a Twitch streamer, MICO’s career began by singing on his streams for three years before releasing his debut single in 2019. Also gaining attention through TikTok, the singer continued to blossom through global streaming charts and by creating a fanbase, whom he calls “amicos.” 

The most recent MICO work is an EP, “Internet hometown hero,” from 2024, followed by the deluxe of that project with the accompaniment of two new tracks in 2025.  

The songs are extremely personal as they draw from MICO’s experiences, feelings, and reflections. Some notable songs include “Cut My Hair,” “HOMESICK,” and “Senses,” the last two being self-proclaimed favorites. MICO takes influence from other artists such as 5 Seconds of Summer, Marianas Trench, and Jeremy Zucker.

Within the singer’s talented career, MICO has headlined multiple sold-out shows, gone on tour with Haiden Henderson, and increased his fan engagement a ton. There doesn’t seem to be a stop to the singer’s reign, and speaking on behalf of the fanbase, we could not be happier.

The lights go dim, and screams fill the venue as MICO encapsulates the stage, smiling as much as humanly possible. The intro to the single, “The one to fall,” begins to echo as amicos stare in awe that MICO is standing in front. The anticipated moment has begun, and everyone is having the time of their lives.

MAICO came out to alert fans that a cover song was about to be played. It played through the different options and magically landed on “Kiss You” by One Direction, a song that every single person had no problem belting out. MICO and his longtime friends and bandmates jumped around like there was no tomorrow.

Continuing through the set, the atmosphere almost felt as if the Hamden venue was a stadium show. The energy was high, and after the first few songs, MICO opened up little gifts from the audience. The interaction was extremely adorable and had the attention of everyone.

The insane vocals drew in everyone’s gaze immediately; cheers rang out from every angle of the venue, the deeper into the set it got. The unparalleled part of the entire night was when MICO took to the stage with his unreleased song, “Parasite,” which should definitely be projected to be a huge hit for the artist.

The Internet Hometown Hero tour could not have been better, at least that’s what fans thought, until MICO quickly jumped into the pit of fans to jump around to the final song, “another soul.”

The artist clearly cares about the fan enjoyment more than anything, constantly thanking the amicos for the journey they’ve taken with him. Having been the first headline Connecticut stop, it was clear that the anticipation for MICO’s return is high. MICO knows the key points to making a tour unforgettable, and I truly hope that attitude continues to influence the music and showmanship that people love so dearly.

To make something so glorious look effortless is a talent in itself, and MICO excels at the artistry of the craft. The artist thanked fans for submitting their pictures and videos by sending them their own 80-second clip of the unreleased song performed that night. There is speculation that Haiden Henderson might be featured; however, there is no current release date or further details about it. Until that day, fans will have to hang on to the teaser and the remnant videos from the event.

The sold-out Connecticut show was absolute perfection, and I have no notes on what could have been different besides the wish for the show to have lasted the whole night long.

I highly recommend checking out MICO’s music and socials @micotoronto for a fun time.

Now it’s time to begin the countdown to the next tour.