BBMAK with Dream Street
Concert Date: June 18, 2025
Location: Fairfield, CT
Summer music season has kicked off with BBMAK headlining a full length concert at Fairfield, CT. Fairfield is about three hours outside of Boston. The band was supported by Greg Raposo and Matthew Ballinger of Dream Street. Of course, I remember Dream Street from my pre-teen years and their songs always being played on Radio Disney. I was extremely excited that I finally got to see them perform.
Last time I saw BBMAK was last November in Boston.
VIP with Dream Street
Prior to the concert, Dream Street hosted a VIP event for some of us fans. BBMAK also did a VIP event too but I wanted to get to know Dream Street more. Plus I planned to spend more time with BBMAK after the show and future shows that weekend. Both their VIPs are organized by the DayOnes VIP team who also organize Chris Kirkpatrick’s VIP.
During the Dream Street VIP, Greg and Matt performed an acoustic of their deep cut, “You’re Taking Me Over”. Both Greg and Matt sounded great and I enjoyed the intimate performance. After the acoustic performance, Matt and Greg answered questions from the fans. They shared their memories of their bandmate, Chris Trousdale who passed away because of covid-19. Then we each took a photo with Matt and Greg. I also appreciated the fact that we were able to use our own cell phones. The DayOnes VIP team would take our phones and take a bunch of photos. That way we have more control over the outcomes of the photos.
We also received a signed photo of Greg and Matt.
The Show
The concert took place at StageOne at the Fairfield Theatre Company. The stage was surrounded by rows of chairs. Each row rose up as you went further back. So there was not necessarily a bad seat in the house. Also, the room’s acoustics were excellent. We could hear the quality of the melody and songs of both BBMAK and Dream Street.
Dream Street
Dream Street opened the show with “I Say Yeah”, the second single off their self-titled debut album. They did not have a back up band. It was just Greg and Matt singing with Greg on guitar. Despite being just the two of them, the song excited the crowd and ignited the energy. The short setlist included “Let It Rain” and “You’re Taking Me Over”.
My favorite performance was definitely “Sugar Rush” (also made famous by A*Teens). I love that song. I was happy to see Dream Street perform the song live. Even though Dream Street were singing in their adult voices, Matt’s voice clearly shined in “Sugar Rush”.
Appropriately, Dream Street closed the show with their major hit song, “It Happens Everytime”. The Dream Street fans cheered for joy because that song brought so much nostalgia and happiness. Dream Street brought us back to the year 2000. Though Greg did adlib the song with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin”.
Overall, Dream Street did a great job. Given it’s their first actual show in over 20 years, I could tell they were hesitant, starting with the first song. But as the show progressed, Greg and Matt found their own groove and chemistry with each other. I wished Dream Street added more songs like “I miss you” and/or “smile” as a dedication to Chris Trousdale. They still sounded amazing. Matt has a great voice. Greg is really talented with his guitar playing. I did wish that Jesse McCartney and their other bandmate, Frankie Galasso had joined them. It was also special to see their families and kids watch them perform. I hope they join the Pop2K tour in the future.
BBMAK
At around 9 pm, BBMAK took to the stage, kicking off their set with “Out Of My Heart/Into Your Head”. Their setlist included songs from their albums “Powerstation”, “Sooner or Later” and “Into Your Head”. The show was a combination of uptempo, ballads and acoustic songs. The songs included: “Ghost of You and Me”, “Collide”, “I’m Not In Love”, “Out of Reach”, “Bullet Train” and “Get You Through The Night”.
Their amazing harmonies definitely shone during their ballads “I Can Tell”, “Still On Your Side” “Sympathy”, and “Uncivil War”. My favorite uptempo performance was “Next Time” because Christian’s voice definitely stands out during the song. I also love the beat of the song as Mark shakes the shaker. Mark’s voice actually stands out during “Unpredictable” especially when he reaches the high note on the last line, “if you take us through the highest height…”.
Mark expands his musical resume by playing the bagpipes (whom he names Patrick). It was incredible how he balances and plays that instrument. He got the whole crowd clapping and stomping their feet.
The biggest highlights of the night was definitely their acoustic set: “More Than Words” and “Powerstation”. They sing acapella with just Ste playing the guitar. Their voices blend so well together and you can hear them sing so clearly. It was so pure. Ste’s and Mark’s voices particularly stood out during “More Than Words”.
They definitely had a great deal of gratitude to people turning out for their show. Before the last song, they actually took a moment to thank the venue, the DayOnes VIP crew and the fans for making the show possible. They fittingly closed the show with their major hit “Back Here” by getting the audience to sing the song with them, reigniting the Pop2000 nostalgia.
After the show, I met up with BBMAK and it was like greeting old friends. After going to many BBMAK shows and attending various VIP events, Christian, Mark and Ste have gotten to know me really well. They were genuinely happy to see me as I was to see them. They gave me big bear hugs and I told them how much I enjoyed the show, especially Mark’s bagpipe playing. I only wished that they added more songs like “Again” and “Always” to the setlist because those songs would have sounded amazing in that venue.
