One year ago, the name BØRNS might have slipped by unnoticed on Milwaukee’s concert calendar. Not so much any more, as proven Tuesday night at a sold-out Pabst Theater. There, all eyes and ears were focused on the musical brainchild of Garrett Borns, all singing along loudly from the get-go of the electricity-filled, 70-minute set. 

Although it was the group’s first time headlining in Milwaukee, the Michigan native seemed right at home on the stage as he sang his psychedelic tunes. Just as his first record is named "Dopamine," the artist’s performance steeped the senses in feel-good tones and soft pastel lights, while his soft and dreamy voice instantly induced a transcendental comatose state. To say that he has pipes of steel would be inaccurate; he clearly has pipes of cream and sugar.

There was not a lot of jumping from the crowd during the show. Instead, wrists were twirling in the air, and swaying arms rippled amongst the audience. Borns lightly frolicked around his dimly lit stage, outlined in a purple silhouette from the low lights. The vocalist resonated a "Here Comes The Sun"-era George Harrison with his blue bell-bottoms and free-flowing hair. Even his jazzy rendition of "Bennie and the Jets" echoed a '70s sound.

At the start of nearly every song, within seconds of Borns cooing the first few notes, the whole crowd delightedly recognized the number and joined right in. At times, his milky voice was inaudible against the vast acoustics of the ornate theater, but the crowd screamed praises for him all the same. The singer was no stranger to the crowd as he assigned lyrics to the people in the balcony or accepted small gifts from front-row fans. "My mom will love this on her refrigerator," he expressed as he looked over a handmade card that was tossed in front of him on stage. 

The most impressive aspect of Borns’ performance is how wholly he has grasped the psychedelic, indie-pop genre of his music. Although all of his songs fall under this category, the singer keeps his performance interesting and his audience engaged through varied tones, incredibly catchy lyrics and soothing melodies.

During one of his most famous numbers, "10,000 Emerald Pools," Borns simply initiated the chorus, held out the microphone to the crowd and jammed along as the audience strongly sang, "All I need is you." He did not even get a chance to sing the interlude to "Past Lives." The crowd powerfully took care of that for him as he smiled and swayed along to his own song under the rainbow lights.

Fan Jami Nitty, 28, traveled all the way from Green Bay to see BØRNS perform. She mentioned that her favorite song of the evening was also "Past Lives." "I love him; (he) makes me melt," she said. "His high note really gives me the shivers."

BØRNS ended its main set with the hit "Electric Love" and left the audience guessing what the band could possibly play for an encore. Nevertheless, roaring cheers and a standing ovation encouraged Borns to reclaim the stage. This time, though, he took the spotlight solo, methodically working out the chords to "Clouds," his most crisply performed number of the night. Slowly, the remainder of his band members rejoined him on stage, highlighting the individual roles of each musician's place in the song.

Even though he was at times difficult to understand, Borns still had the entire Milwaukee crowd going head-over-heels for him. Milwaukee native Malena Grim, 15, was just grateful to be able to see him perform live. "I thought (his performance) was definitely better than what I expected," she said. "His voice was pretty crisp. It’s a good memory to have in my teen years."

Lucky for Grim and the rest of the BØRNS fans in attendance, this does not seem like it will be the last time that this city sees this mystical artist. Borns even mentioned at the end of his show how much fun he had performing and that he hoped to see this crowd soon again.

By the time BØRNS returns, there is no doubt that Milwaukee will have plenty of electric love waiting for him.