PHOTO GALLERY: MKTO Brings ‘American Dream Tour’ to Houston

MKTO just can’t get enough of Houston. The duo brought the ‘Band Life’ tour with Emblem3 to town earlier this year and made a quick turn-around for their ‘American Dream Tour’ on Thursday, July 24, with VerseCity, Tiffany Houghton, and Action Item along as the opening acts for the gig.

There were tons of folks packed inside House of Blues for the show. Doors flew open at six o’clock and legions of pop-music lovers swarmed inside for a glimpse of the night’s performers. Houston’s own VerseCity kicked off the string of performances with a short-and-sweet set, featuring tracks like “Moving Up,” the group’s brand-new single.

Tiffany Houghton followed with an energetic and captivating performance. The young, Dallas-born singer invaded the stage with full confidence, despite being a girl smacked in the middle of a bill loaded with boy bands, and made the most of her nearly 30-minute opening slot. With Tiffany delivering her honeyed vocals in songs like “High,” “Love Like That,” and “Band Boy,” and her fans singing along, it was total girl-power in the venue that evening.

Next, Action Item rocked the stage. The New Jersey band performed songs like the super-fun and interactive “We’ll Be Fine” as well as other selects from their recently-released Great Mission: Life EP. They were outstanding. The group brought an energy to the stage that was impossible to resist, and a soundtrack that had fans alive and singing.

As soon as MKTO took the stage, the crowd went nuts. The Texas-meets-California duo stormed onstage carrying an energy that burst and beamed into the crowd. It was a fiery performance, featuring songs like “God Only Knows,” “Thank You,” and the infectious hit single “Classic.” The pair even dished out a handful of covers of hits like Lorde’s “Royals” and Nico & Vinz’s “Am I Wrong.” Fans didn’t hesitate to really cut loose when their favorite songs were played. When a familiar beat dropped, the entire crowd was in motion.

House of Blues is no arena, but MKTO definitely brought an arena atmosphere to the venue with their fun-filled performance.