On Wednesday night, sometime between researching for my horribly unfocused CAL-105 Proposal and freaking out about Design 2, I found the time to take the 4 train to Barclays Center and watch Lorde perform on her Melodrama Tour. Since buying the tickets for this concert nearly ten months ago, I have only become a more devoted Lorde fan; her lyrics and synth-influenced melodies transport me to a place of nostalgia and joy, even more so as I reach my late teens. So, I was beyond excited to break out of the mid-week blues and see one of my favorite artists Wednesday night. Lorde was nothing short of stellar – everything, from her energy to the show’s production, was perfectly on-point to create the perfect concert experience.
The show was opened by the ethereal Mitski and rambunctious Run the Jewels. Mitski, the Japanese-American indie rock artist, used her feminine and versatile voice to bring to life a few familiar tunes, like “Your Best American Girl” and “Townie.” Run the Jewels then started the party with a 40-minute set packed with old and new releases, and even threw in a sample of “We are the Champions” by Queen. The crowd responded to their energy with many standing to dance, showing that there were quite a few Run the Jewels fans in the audience.
However, there was no debating that the sold-out crowd was most excited for Lorde. As she rocketed through her hits and fan favorites, the crowd was almost as loud as her, reverberating back every word and dancing whenever they had the chance.
It’s difficult to find a gap or missing piece in the 21-year old’s catalog. Despite only having released two albums, she possessed enough strong material to keep the show running for just under two hours. By mixing explosive pop like “Yellow Flicker Beat” and “Green Light,” and an acoustic interlude featuring “Writer in the Dark,” “Liability,” and a cover of St. Vincent’s “New York,” Lorde kept the audience in a euphoric state, holding their emotions in her grasp. Her abilities as a performer have never been stronger.
In addition, Lorde’s voice has never sounded better. Her low notes were fierce growls, while her high notes, contrastingly, stayed light. She has found the consistency that she struggled with in her earlier performances, and wasn’t afraid to change melodies on the fly and have fun with the vocals.
The show’s greatest highlights came with “Ribs” and “Supercut,” two of her most critically-acclaimed and fan-acclaimed songs. Both have lyrics dealing with memories and looking back on failed relationships or great friendships, and slight tweaks to their arrangements showed Lorde’s endless creativity with her art. The ambient buzzing of “Ribs” left chills on my spine for the entirety of the song, while “Supercut” was simply pop perfection delivered by a jumping, ecstatic Lorde. Another highlight came when Lorde unexpectedly invited out Jack Antonoff, producer and co-writer for much of Melodrama, and he played guitar and piano for her, along with adding some commentary. It was clear that Lorde and Jack are close friends.
In addition to the music, the Melodrama tour nailed the lighting and staging aspects of the experience. The dancers who accompanied Lorde were emotive and performed in a large, suspended glass box, which added a new level of drama to the show. The creative lighting brought a distinctive color scheme to each of Lorde’s songs, which isn’t a surprise, given that Lorde has synesthesia. And finally, yes, Lorde’s trademark dancing came in full force to the concert and looked even better live than I could’ve imagined.
Overall, this was one of my favorite concert experiences ever. Lorde is meticulous and passionate about her music, which translated to a stunning show that I never wanted to end.
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