This is not an April Fool's joke - Ricky Montgomery took over The Wiltern with support from Bella Kay on April 1st for his 10-year anniversary tour of his debut album Montgomery Ricky. Even before doors opened, there was a line wrapping around the building outside. It was a show just as packed as an anime convention. In fact, there were multiple cosplayers that night. Fans were taking pictures at designated photo spots and everyone was filled with excitement.

Bella Kay graced the stage with her relatable bedroom pop style music - the kind of music that gives you a hug when you're at home with a box of tissues, crying over a breakup.

The kind of music that reminds you that you're not alone. Bella also had a smile on her face that radiated joy through the entire space. Her guitarist also brought a lot of energy as well. Her cover of "Hot Line Bling" brought new emotion to the song. Meanwhile her song "Steady," which mentions feelings of being afraid to fall in love, is a song you can tell the audience resonated with. Her music emotionally hits and is the kind you listen to on repeat long after the show is over.

Now Ricky Montgomery has this way of getting the crowd dancing and ready to go a decent chunk of time before he even gets a foot on stage. Songs were playing that jokingly had some of the words replaced to say Ricky's name. Meanwhile, fans were holding up words on their phones that I believe were mostly related to jokes in Ricky's community. He came onto the stage as a dark silhouette thanks to the lights, which felt cinematic. He matched the cover of his album with a third eye on his forehead and a formal suit as well. He got the crowd started with popular favorites "This December" and transitioned into "Line Without a Hook" (a personal favorite of mine). Ricky's movements on stage - such as his facial expressions and how he'd interact with the crowd, like holding audience members' plushies up - just made the show feel more intimate and exciting.

You can tell he really makes an effort to connect with his fans. His interactions with his bandmates also added to the experience. He got the whole crowd jumping and dancing - you would think there was an earthquake going on. At times the green and blue lights would make him look almost like an alien gracing the stage. The red lights gave off an energy of passion on stage. The giant hand on stage was a nice touch too (and when I say hand, I mean an actual giant hand decorating the stage). He also did a push-up on stage for some reason - it was pretty random, which makes it entertaining - but hey, you've got to work out when you can.

Guitar in his hands or not, Ricky still managed to jump around on stage; the energy never went down.

During his songs on the more somber side, like "Black Fin," which deals with the reality of his father's passing, you could feel the whole community come together. They even sang the ending together. During parts of the set you could see fans with their phone flashlights on, creating a space that looked like a room filled with stars - as if you were being hugged by the night sky itself. The stage filled with red to match the energy of his song "Last Night," while Ricky played electric guitar. The audience sang along with him to his song "Snow." It was a very emotionally touching moment to be a part of - you could feel every word. He also performed new songs such as "Change."

"Change" felt very cinematic and it felt like it showed his growth as an artist and as a person.

He even performed his song "Cars." Although one of the most memorable moments was him asking for a fan who knows all the chords to "Mr. Loverman" to come up onstage and perform with him. You could tell the fan that came on stage was ready for it, and it was touching seeing Ricky guide her through the song.

When Ricky came back out for his encore, a fan pulled out their Nintendo 3DS and asked him to smile for it in honor of the fact that their birthdays were both coming up. He even performed "Mr. Loverman" a second time for the encore. To wrap up the night, he threw signed copies of the setlist as paper airplanes out towards the audience (which is a tradition he's kept at previous shows).

Ricky and Bella filled the night with so much emotion and laughter that I wasn't ready for the show to be over. It was awesome seeing all the fans cheering the whole time and even waving around plushies. I saw a decent amount of fans dressed as characters from the show Jujutsu Kaisen, mainly the popular character Gojo. Seeing Ricky's support for the LGBTQ+ community - such as how I've seen him holding one of the flags up on stage at every show I've been to - reminds me that there are still artists out there who care a lot about their fans and the world around them. This show was a reminder that you are loved no matter who you are, and you don't need to fit in. Just being yourself is the most important thing you can do, and I'm grateful to Ricky for creating that kind of community. I'm already ready for the next time he comes out to Los Angeles.