Live Shows: Madi Diaz and Clover County, Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA 10/21/25

In our opinions, Madi Diaz is one of the most underrated musicians out there. Since discovering her in 2021, she always seems to be right on the edge of breaking out, and with her just released and excellent new album Fatal Optimist, that seems even more likely. I've been lucky enough to see her perform live twice now, but those have been huge festivals (Boston Calling in 2024 and Back Cove Music and Arts Festival this past summer). When I saw that she was playing the ultra small Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, I knew it was time to finally see her play a headlining set.

Even before Madi Diaz took the stage, you could tell it was going to be a unique night. The stage was decorated kind of like a living room, with a semi-shag carpet, pictures, a small table and lamp, and vintage amps. Diaz started playing at 8:00 and didn't stop until around 9:30. It's easy to forget just how many great songs she has, and her new album is filled with them. "Why'd You Have to Bring Me Flowers" is a heartbreaking new favorite, with "God Person" and "Heavy  Metal" right up there. She played her version of "This is How a Woman Leaves," which she cowrote with Maren Morris.

One notable thing about Diaz's current tour is that she's playing completely solo. She utilized some recorded drums in a few songs, but other than that it's just her and a guitar. For a few songs she was joined on vocals by a friend from her Boston days (Annie, didn't catch her last name) and opener Clover County. She was more than able to captivate the audience with just her songs and stories, especially ones about her ex, "Wolf Guy." Diaz commented a few times at how attentive the crowd was and she wasn't used to such silence while playing. That's partially due to how great Iron Horse audiences tend to be, but also how great she is as a performer.

Clover County opened the show, also playing solo. Her set was filled with solid folk pop songs, and she was surprisingly engaging since I'm unsure how familiar the audience was before Tuesday night. Her set was also filled with great stories about her songs (also about an ex), and her songs were solid and well written. We're hoping to hear more from the young artist sooner than later.