Live Show: Internet Hometown Hero, MICO, has taken Orlando by storm once again.

Words: Josie Cruz

Photos: Maria Vanderbilt

Source: @jojigami

Prior to this show, MICO made waves in Orlando back in September 2024, performing at The Social. One year later, he not only sold out The Social in one day, but sold out the upgraded 1300 capacity venue, The Beacham -  marking the largest show on the tour thus far. With multiple lines wrapping around the block, fans entered the venue and awaited, unknowing of the unforgettable experience that lay close ahead.

Before the show even began, the crowd was fired up by MICO’s pre-show playlist. They sang along, excited and reminiscing with each track that came on. One particular song had everyone in the room belting every single word: “Golden” from the hit movie, KPop Demon Hunters. Together, the Orlando crowd sealed the Honmoon that night, before any performer took to the stage.

Joining him for this part of the Internet Hometown Hero World Tour is vaultboy, who gave a strong start to the night, opening his set with the first track off his sunflower EP, “what do i know?” The bright and punchy drums in combination with vaultboy’s smooth melodies captured the audience’s attention from the get-go. vaultboy had successfully set the tone for the night, and let his personality shine through his performance of the following song, “everything hits me at once.” The audience hooked off of his witty lyricism and solid theatrical gestures. After the song ends, vaultboy took a moment to introduce himself and rally the Florida crowd by yelling out “DUUUVAL!” - a nod to the Jacksonville-native’s hometown.

The next section of vaultboy’s set featured pop-ballad “you’re my moon” and an unreleased track, however this didn’t stop him from getting the crowd to sing along. Instructing them on the melody of a single line in the chorus, the crowd came together to beautifully support vaultboy’s performance. One final ballad remained. vaultboy took a brief moment to be vulnerable with his audience, acknowledging the topic of mental health and recollecting the story of his song, “i wish u knew.” A song he wrote in a time of need was now shared with a crowd who equally needed to hear his raw, profound lyrics. Alongside a heartwrenching piano instrumental, vaultboy’s powerful vocals rang through the venue, fostering a healing moment that brought some in the crowd to tears. The pace picked back up for the rest of vaultboy’s set as he performed “fade away.” The track featured a blend of disco-esque keys, a funky bass, and synth-pop elements. The atmosphere pulsed as the crowd grooved. The fun did not stop here. The venue echoed as the crowd screamed along to “everything sucks” and “rocket science,” vaultboy’s most popular songs.

The lights dim. The band files out to take the stage. A voice, introducing itself as M.ai.CO, guides the audience to the start of the set, prompting them to scream and take an incessant amount of photos and videos. The band begins playing an interpolation of the opening song. MICO walks out onto the stage and the crowd roars. With a solid introduction, MICO kicked off his set with “The one to fall,” and went right into the heavier, pop-punk song “TV.”

Succeeding the first two songs was MICO’s most recent drop “Ever After.” Unbeknownst to the audience until the song’s second verse was eaJ’s physical appearance to perform alongside MICO. As eaJ ran on to grab the mic, the crowd howled - pure shock and exhilaration bearing over them. The room was on fire and that energy carried on through the rest of the night.

After the song, MICO took a brief intermission, allowing the crowd to catch their breath while he introduced his bandmates on stage: Jason Khater on the lead guitar, Raffaele on the bass, and Matt Oliver on the drums. In this time, MICO seamlessly interweaved the introduction with the concept of M.ai.CO’s creation in a comedic tangent that stirred silly band banter and poked fun at himself - establishing the comical genius behind the music. Heading back into the setlist, MICO performed a pop-punk rendition of “That’s So True” by Gracie Abrams - a song chosen by M.ai.CO.

With each and every song, MICO and his bandmates gave their all, feeding an infectious, euphoric energy to the crowd that, in turn, fueled the performers even more. Not a single moment let up. The room’s energy only grew from there, especially when vaultboy returned to the stage to perform “Don’t you cry” - the pair’s voices complementing each other in divine harmony. Following that song, piano keys played, a signal to the audience that “everything, everywhere” - a song usually found in vaultboy’s set - was on.The crowd screamed every single word while somehow holding their breaths, assuming that a special guest would return to the stage yet again - and they were right. eaJ took to the stage and gave a jaw-dropping performance.

Another significant moment to note was when MICO played the song “Senses.” The last time that Orlando heard this song live was back at The Social in 2024 on the night of its release. A true full-circle moment, as it is now one of his most popular songs. No one on stage held back during this passionate performance supported by an enamored crowd. For the whole duration of “Senses”, all of the city’s magic was bottled up in a single room, and as the song came to an end, the fleeting, sentimental moment left many in the crowd teary-eyed. 

MICO is not only a talented artist that has honed his craft over the last few years with an astounding work-ethic, he is a genuine person that showed gratitude to every single person who helped make this tour and his dream come to fruition. His shows are a safe place for people from different walks of life to temporarily forget about the world and be themselves to the fullest, together.