Matt Rogers - Prince of Christmas
Date: December 15, 2024
Location: Boston, MA
Last December, Matt Rogers’ “Prince of Christmas” tour stopped in Boston. Boston is the seventh stop on Matt’s 12 city tour. The “Prince of Christmas” tour is my first Matt Rogers’ show. I really wanted to go to a Holiday-themed concert to commemorate the festive season. And Matt’s show was the perfect fit! I’ve seen his Netflix special and listened to his Las Culturistas podcast, so I had some idea on what to expect.
Last Minute Ticket At the Mezzanine
I actually bought this ticket last minute. About two days before the show! Instead of buying from Ticketmaster, I decided to purchase the ticket directly from the Wilbur box office. The venue is located right in downtown Boston so it was easy to get to via public transportation. Compared to Ticketmaster, the selection from the venue itself is limited. But you get to avoid paying the convenience fee and any other hidden fees Ticketmaster likes to strap onto the price. The ticket was $45. Approximately $20 cheaper than Ticketmaster.
As a result, I ended up getting a seat in the mezzanine section in the ninth row. The floor section was standing room only. Usually I don’t mind standing during concerts but this time around I decided to sit and enjoy the music. I still had a great view of the stage and can clearly still see Matt prancing around.
Prince of Christmas Show
The show began 10 minutes after 7 pm and lasted about 90 minutes. Matt, the diva himself, appears onstage in a black robe with a shiny crown and black boots. He starts the show by singing “Silent Night”. He then increases the show’s energy by transitioning to his upbeat song, “Also It’s Christmas”. Matt does a quick change by taking off the black robe, revealing a shiny green vest and white pants. He is clearly ready to party!
Accompanied by a live band, Matt’s setlist mainly consisted of songs from his Christmas Album, “Have You Heard of Christmas?” The setlist includes the title song, “Have You Heard of Christmas?”, “Everything You Want”, “Every Christmas Eve”, “I Don’t Need to Be Christmas At All”, and “Rum Pum Pum”. He also covers Chappell Roan’s “Red Wine Supernova”, “The Wizard and I” from Wicked, and Wham’s “Last Christmas”.
Matt’s songs and lyrics can be considered risque and raunchy. Notably “Lube For The Sleigh” and “Hottest Female in Whoville”. But that’s the point. Matt is unapologetic and not afraid to express himself. Furthermore, his songs allude to Matt’s comedy and theatre background. In my opinion, the songs are incredibly hilarious. Moreover, through his songwriting and creative license, Matt is clearly a storyteller who wants to showcase his interpretation, passion and love for Christmas. He definitely gets the audience into the holiday spirit.
I also want to note that the majority of people in the audience were in celebratory moods, fully dressed in holiday sweaters.
My favorite performance is definitely “RockaFellaCenta”, his tribute song to the iconic New York City Rockefeller Center and the famous tree placed there every Holiday season. It’s just a fun upbeat and catchy song. I can tell Matt enjoys performing that song a lot as he moves around the stage. The song is actually a duet with his friend, Bowen Yang. Though Bowen did not appear on the show, Matt had a “Bowen” stand in dancing around and lip-syncing to Bowen’s rap. It was hilarious but I wished the real Bowen was there.
Fittingly, Matt closes the show with his rendition of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas (Is You)”. He gets off the stage and goes into the audience. He walks through the audience effortlessly and interacts with the fans. I was pleasantly surprised at how easily Matt could walk around amongst the crowd. No one flogged themselves on him, pulled him aside nor delayed him from walking back to the stage. The audience were respectful and Matt still had fun greeting fans.
The Verdict
Overall, I had a great time at Matt’s “Prince of Christmas” concert. I probably laughed the entire time. Besides being incredibly funny, Matt has a great singing voice and exudes excellent stage presence. He and his team make the entire show entertaining. Also, the acoustics in the Wilbur Theater enhanced Matt’s performance. I definitely recommend checking his Christmas concerts during the holiday season. But, maybe don’t bring the kids!
