Concert Review: Lorde is heroine of night

Aileen Kangavary and Rita Chidbachian

Lorde left the crowd in awe when she performed at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on the night of Oct 7.

After repeatedly listening to her international crossover hit “Royals” on the radio, the 17-year-old pop singer began her “Pure Heroine” tour in September and has ruled the music world since.

Lorde stays humble whenever she performs. Photo from twitter.com/lordemusic
Lorde stays humble whenever she performs.
Photo from twitter.com/lordemusic

Majical Cloudz set the mood for the breathtaking appearance everyone was prepared to see with their opening act. Devon Welsh, the lead singer, started off the show saying “This is the weirdest show you guys are ever going to see.”

As they sang, the backdrop of the stage became moving shadows of the group members, which gave a unique appearance that ran through the theater. The Canadian electro duo sang “Notebook,” “Silver Rings” and their more popular song, “Savage.” They soothed the audience with their mellow vocals and their slow paced music.

After the short intermission, the moment that everyone in the outdoor theater has been waiting for had finally arrived. Lorde lustfully walked out onto the stage taking in every scream that the crowd had to offer. She started off the night with “Glory and Gore” then greeted the enthusiastic Los Angeles crowd.

“It feels like such a journey, even though it’s only been 5 week,” Lorde shared with her fans. “I feel like I’ve met so many people and learned so much about this country and it was just over a year ago I was in LA for the first time. It was so big, there was so many things that i noticed that were different from where I am from.” Her speech was followed by hundreds of screams and whistles of comfort.

The setlist consisted of 16 songs, two of which were covers of Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights” and Bon Iver’s “Heavenly Father.” She performed “Tennis Court,” “Ribs,” “Bravado” and several songs from her first album “Pure Heroine” which was released September of last year.

Lorde is known for her eccentric movements during her live performances. Photo by Aileen Kangavary
Lorde is known for her eccentric movements during her live performances. Photo by Aileen Kangavary

Lorde recently released “Yellow Flicker Beat,” on Sept. 29 which is the lead single for the upcoming movie “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.” Since the tune is new and reserved for the movie, she only performed it at a handful of shows on her tour. The first “Hunger Games” film also featured Lorde’s vocals when she covered Tears For Fears’ classic song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” however tweaked it to be slower and more powerful.

Throughout the show the “Royals” singer changed outfits to compliment the mood of the songs. Towards the last quarter of the show, the stage was enclosed in fog and drenched in red spotlights. She strutted back on stage showcasing a beautiful velvet outfit with a silky cape-like garment which flowed as she pranced around, flipping her curly hair as she sang each meaningful song.

The audience couldn’t help but dance, as she did the same. Everyone sang along, swaying their flashlights slowly to the calming beat of her music.

The very successful soon to be 18-year-old teen phenom from New Zealand put on quite the show at the Greek Theater, leaving everyone wanting more.