Review and photos by Katrina Gelety

On May 17, 2025, Alex Warren’s Cheaper than Therapy Tour sold out the Roxian Theatre in McKees Rocks, PA. As I arrived at the venue, there were multiple lines of concert-goers wrapping around both sides of the building. It was the longest I have ever seen the line at the venue, and I was in awe. 

The evening began with Michael Sanzone’s set. It was wonderful to see the crowd just as excited for Sanzone as they were for Warren, and you can tell there is a lot of overlap in the fanbases. Sanzone was extremely interactive with the crowd, noticing a grandmother that was in attendance with her granddaughter. He also pointed out a sign where someone had asked him to sing “Use Somebody” and said that it was “later in the set. Don’t give away secrets.” When it got to that moment in the show, he went back to that same person and asked “What song is next?,” for her to respond. 

Sanzone’s set included “Going, Going, Gone” (a favorite of mine), “Home” (his first song ever released), and “Perfect” (his closing song of the set). Michael Sanzone will surely be as big of a name as Alex Warren if the Pittsburgh crowd is any indication of how much he is adored!

Alex Warren then took the stage with my favorite song of his, “Burning Down.” It was the first one I’d heard when he released the duet version with Joe Jonas. I love the lyrics explaining the need to get out of a relationship that you know is falling apart. The production is grand and loud, and Warren belts beautifully throughout. In my opinion, it was the perfect choice as opening song. 

Similarly to Sanzone, Warren was very engaging with the crowd and telling jokes all night. At one point, he asked all of the guys in the crowd to raise their hands and then asked if their girlfriends dragged them to the show. A girl in the crowd had asked Warren to sing at her wedding on June 21st to which someone else in the audience shouted that he was going to be on tour. Warren responded with “Weird that you know my schedule.”

Every person in the Roxian Theatre ate up every moment of Warren’s set. I noticed the entire audience jumping while he sang “Yard Sale.” There were members of the crowd comforting each other during “Save You a Seat” (another one of my favorites). Finally, to no one’s surprise, the energy was electric as Warren sang his massive hit “Ordinary.” 

It was such a privilege to be able to attend this show and get to see Alex Warren before he starts selling out arenas. Both Michael Sanzone and Alex Warren put on incredible shows. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend catching both of them in the future. You can check out photos from the show in the gallery below!