On January 18, 2025, two of the internet’s favorite after-dark voices shared a stage in Los Angeles. Christian Gates and Dutch Melrose co-headlined the Teragram Ballroom, a hometown show for Gates and a full-circle moment for a partnership that started with a single verse.
A hometown room that means something
The Teragram is not a random pick. Gates has named it his favorite venue to play, the rare room that is big enough to feel electric and small enough to stay intimate.
New York is definitely my favorite city to play, but if we’re talking venues, Teragram Ballroom in LA is probably my favorite. It’s the perfect size, big enough to feel electric but small enough to still feel intimate.Christian Gates, Popdust
Playing it as a co-headline, in the city he now calls his professional home, turned a normal tour date into a statement. The night was rounded out by a full bill of supporting acts, but the story was the two headliners who had turned an online collaboration into a live event fans traveled for.
Dutch made it personal
Reviewers singled out Dutch Melrose’s connection with the crowd. During his set he took fans’ phones mid-song, filmed himself performing so they would have the clip, and handed the phones back. He closed by handing out roses to the audience. Small gestures, but they are the kind of thing fans remember for years, and they say a lot about why both artists inspire the loyalty they do.
Two internet-born artists, one very real room.
The chemistry, live
It was the in-person version of what made TOXIC work. Dutch had written and sung that song’s second verse, the one Gates says saved it; here the two fed off a room instead of a comment section. The show was proof that their collaboration was never a one-off transaction but a real creative partnership.
Where it leads
Both artists now bring VIP tours to The Ring in 2026, Gates across Europe and Dutch across the US. The Teragram night reads, in hindsight, like the moment their two careers officially started orbiting the same center. More on each in the Christian Gates and Dutch Melrose wikis.