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Sidewalk Stages, Subway Sets, Backyard Tours
From surprise album drops to surprise guest stars, music thrives with an edge of spontaneity, but lately an even more unpredictable trend has taken center stage: the surprise concert. While not exactly a new phenomenon, surprise concerts have seen a dramatic increase in recent years. It all arguably started when Charli XCX turned Times Square brat green with a 15-minute surprise concert. Since then, some of the biggest names across genres have joined the trend, including Lorde, Bad Bunny, and The All-American Rejects. While all part of a larger cultural moment, each of these impromptu appearances reveals a different aspect of modern life, from desire for authenticity to recession fears, from honoring grassroots artistry to rejecting capitalism. Taken together they point toward music’s ever evolving nature shaped by shifting values and more genuine communication.
Pop Gets Personal: Lorde’s Washington Square Surprise
On April 22, 2025, Lorde turned Washington Square Park into a makeshift venue to debut her single "What Was That." Fans swarmed the park after she posted a simple invitation on Instagram reading “Meet me in the park / Tonight 7pm - x x”. Although the performance was shut down by NYPD shortly after it began, that only added to the chaotic vibe of the night. Fans lingered, and Lorde later returned to perform on a makeshift stage with a speaker. Videos from the night show fans up close and personal with the star while she danced — admittedly awkwardly — and sang along to her tracks blasting on the speaker. Yes, it was messy and chaotic, but it was also a remarkably authentic, unfiltered performance from one of pop’s biggest names.
Recession Pop-Up: Charli XCX in Times Square
Charli XCX is iconic, and so was her surprise 15-minute concert in Times Square last November. But the performance was also a branded event in collaboration with H&M to celebrate the reopening of the brand’s flagship store. Despite a meager 30-minute notice, fans flocked to see Charli perform her songs while wearing items from her new H&M collection. The performance’s unique mix of sidewalk performance — although technically she was on stage roughly three stories above fans —with a huge pop star, branded event with minimal PR, underlines the tension of Charli’s signature take on recession pop. The concert was unique in its own way, satisfying every party involved — fans who got a free concert, Charli who got free PR, and H&M which got publicity.
Social Experiments: Bad Bunny’s Subway Performance
In January 2025, Bad Bunny and Jimmy Fallon disguised themselves and busked at the 50th Street Subway station in New York City. In a performance that was equal parts prank, performance art and cultural homage, the duo sang a rendition of Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” followed by Bad Bunny’s own “NUEVAYol.” It seems no one really fell for the disguises and a crowd immediately formed around the pair and their band. Although short, the performance highlighted New York’s long history of showmanship, nodding to the buskers who can be seen performing at almost every station and on almost every train. It turned a common commute into a shared cultural moment and simultaneously honored the buskers that give NYC commutes their vibrancy.
Chaos Over Capitalism: The All-American Rejects’ “House Party” Tour
Diving headfirst into the chaotic, anti-capitalistic, almost anarchist nature of surprise concerts, The All-American Rejects have opted out of traditional arena tours, instead going rogue with their 2025 “house party” tour. The band has gone viral on social media for these impromptu, surprise concerts set up in backyards and basements, harkening back to their homegrown roots. Aside from a healthy dose of nostalgic fun, the concerts are also deeply community-first, with the band funding the tour out of pocket and deliberately side-stepping the commercial machinery of the live music industry. Sure, The All-American Rejects get something out of this — namely publicity that speaks to younger listeners — but more importantly, the house party tour has re-injected the music scene with a sense of whimsy normally absent from arena shows.
Why Now?
While the reasons behind each surprise concert vary, they all have one thing in common — breaking the mold. In a music industry that feels increasingly monotone and overproduced, these spontaneous shows offer an alternative to the polish of traditional concerts. Whether it’s a pop icon, a reggaeton king, or a millennial emo band, the sidewalk stage is quickly becoming one of the most interesting spaces for music — reintroducing the authenticity, originality, and spontaneity of music back into the industry.
