Massive hands sprouted from the sides of a stage as a man adorned in a black velvet suit looked out into the audience with three eyes, strumming his guitar. 

“Nice to meet you,” the audience shouted at him in unison. 

A line wrapping around the building signaled a sold-out show for Ricky Montgomery at The Wiltern on Wednesday night. The show marked the third and final stop of Montgomery’s “Montgomery Ricky” 10-year anniversary tour. Montgomery recently released an EP, titled “Montgomery Ricky (Plus 3),” featuring three songs: “Oh My My,” “Some Kind of Man” and “Object of Desire.” 

The venue was packed with fans standing shoulder to shoulder, many donning birthday hats to celebrate the “birthday” of Montgomery’s debut album, “Montgomery Ricky.” Having gotten his start on social media with Vine and ultimately gaining virality on TikTok, much of his audience was drawn in from those circles.

Many fans have created edits of a popular anime to his music on TikTok. At the show, people shouted “Nice to meet you!” during Montgomery’s song, “Mr. Loverman,” in reference to the anime “Banana Fish.”

“[Montgomery has] watched all the anime in relation to his music, which I think is really nice, because you can tell he’s trying to connect with his audience in a really personal way,” said Madison Srisamai, a longtime fan of Montgomery.

Montgomery’s opener was Bella Kay, an artist from Orlando, Florida, who recently gained traction on TikTok with her song “The Sick.” Kay riled up the audience with a rendition of the Drake song “Hotline Bling,” reworking the track into her indie-pop style. 

Kay’s music falls into the bedroom pop genre, aligning with many of Montgomery’s past collaborators, including artists Cavetown and mxmtoon.

Once Kay left the stage, the crowd hummed with growing anticipation. Suddenly, fans — some of whom had been waiting since noon — began cheering. On either side of the stage, massive inflatable hands resembling roots grew out of the stage,  referencing the “Montgomery Ricky” album cover. 

When Montgomery ran out onto the stage under flashes of purple and green spotlights, the prosthetic eyeball on his forehead further echoed the album cover’s surreal imagery.

Montgomery started off with “This December,” transitioning seamlessly into one of his biggest hits, “Line Without a Hook.” The audience hung onto every word, singing along and swaying their arms. 

Towards the middle of his set, Montgomery invited a fan to come onto stage to play guitar — but on the condition that they knew the chords to his song “Mr. Loverman.” One enthusiastic fan screamed and held up a sign, which said, “Can I play Mr. Loverman with you (I know the chords).” 

She correctly identified the chords and was invited onto the stage. She introduced herself to the audience as Hailey Salinas.

Salinas, who had seen clips from previous fan performances on TikTok, said she initially worried she would be unable to bring her sign into the venue.

“[The security guard] almost didn’t believe me. He was like, ‘You’re gonna go on stage and play guitar with Ricky?’ I was like, ‘Maybe,’” Salinas said.

Once onstage, she was unstoppable. Montgomery lent her his guitar pick, and she showcased her skills to the audience, relishing in her moment as she played.

“It was so surreal going all the way [backstage], and then I came out, and it was just so crazy being up there,” Salinas said. “Looking out into the audience, it’s so dark, I couldn’t see anything.”

After their collaboration, Montgomery continued to play the rest of the songs in the album. He then said “bye” to the audience, and the lights shut off. Not deceived, the audience chanted “Ricky” until he returned to the stage. Montgomery began his encore with his new song, “Some Kind of Man,” a track that explores themes of struggling with gender identity and sexuality. A fan threw a transgender flag onto the stage, which Montgomery wrapped around his shoulders and waved as he sang. 

“[Montgomery’s fanbase is] a community that’s so inherently diverse and queer, that it’s really nice to be in a space where you feel like you’re supported, especially because Ricky himself is a queer artist,” Srisamai said.

The show’s tone shifted when Montgomery sang “Black Fins,” which showed a more emotional and personal side of him, as the song explores the death of his father. 

When “Black Fins” concluded, Montgomery then used a live autotune effect on his voice as he danced around the stage. He pumped up the audience by performing pushups on stage and waving his arms around to get them to clap to the beat.

“He’s such a good performer. That’s why we come back,” said Rae Simmons, another fan of Montgomery.

Montgomery’s efforts to energize the audience were a precursor to “Out Like a Light,” one of his self-proclaimed favorite songs. He thanked the audience for their participation and expressed his gratitude for the support he had received throughout the years.

Then, Montgomery did something that he had only done twice before in his career: He ended the show by singing “Mr. Loverman” a second time. After the song, he tossed paper planes into the audience, each one a signed set list. 

Montgomery’s 10-year anniversary tour felt like a love letter to his old music and all the contributions that the fans brought to it.

“I think it’s nice to see an artist look back on their older music, not with disdain [but] with a more positive influence,” said Baz Burnett, a fan. “It’s kind of nice to see someone embrace it.”