Former Belmont Student ALINA Headlines Exit/In

ALINA performing “Get a Grip.” (Louise Geri)

The crowd at the Exit/In was abuzz on Sunday night, as 150 people waited for Tripp Todd, Meadowglade and ALINA to come onstage.

Two months after the release of ALINA’s sophomore EP, “Catching Lightning,” the singer and former Belmont student headlined the popular venue.

Between original songs, opener Tripp Todd performed covers of “Wrist Watch” by MJ Lenderman and a rock-inspired version of “Wide Open Spaces” by The Chicks.

Todd gave the audience a sneak peek at the upcoming track “Angel.”

When he introduced his closing song, “Off and On and Off and On,” fans let out excited screams.

Toward the end of the song, several audience members lit their phone flashlights.

Most songs were with Todd’s full band, but he went acoustic and solo for one unreleased track, “Lady, I’m Falling.”

When Meadowglade came on, some members of the audience began moshing.

Lead singer Luke Cooper introduced the band and suggested audience members buy their handmade merch.

Introducing a song about the lunar eclipse, Cooper recalled a memory with his father.

“We got up at 3 am to see the red moon,” said Cooper.

After playing several original songs, Cooper wished co-writer Andrew Delaney a happy birthday.

Delaney, a co-writer on the band’s latest track and debut single, “Magnolia,” was brought to stage and gifted a rabbit doll.

When ALINA entered the stage, screams broke out.

The singer engaged with her crowd before the show started, motioning to her fur coat to subtly ask “Does my outfit look better with or without the coat?”

Fans screamed in approval of the coat.

The show opened with “Bite the Bullet.”

When ALINA’s guitar strap broke, she improvised by using her roommate’s guitar.

Her electric guitar and bass players harmonized with her as she ran around on stage singing “Look Bad.”

“My first thought was ‘Get a grip’ and my second was ‘Write a song about it,” said ALINA, introducing “Get A Grip.”

The audience rejoiced at a mashup of ALINA’s “Second Guessing” and The Cranberries’ “Linger."

After “Mercilessly,” the singer did a live debut of the “catching lightning” track, “Nothing I Am.”

Before debuting the song, she recalled a disagreement with her father that inspired the song.

Between sections of the song “Bulletproof,” ALINA introduced her band.

She talked about teenage loneliness before playing the 2024 track “Self Isolate.”

She debuted “How to Get to Me,” inspired by her relationship with the internet.

ALINA then played an unreleased song called “Forget Me.”

“I need everyone in my entire life to mourn me,” said ALINA.

Audience members raised their phone flashlights when she played her 2025 hit “I Know, I Know, I Know.”

After, fans head-banged to ALINA’s cover of “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus.

ALINA led the audience in the chant, “I want you, I need you, it’s nothing,” during the closer, “Don’t Be A Stranger.”

“ALINA has such an incredible stage presence. Her personality shines through so well,” said Freshman McKinnon Baker. 

ALINA is not currently touring but plans to release more music soon.

Written by Louise Geri