Lorde’s Toronto concert was a “royal” affair

(Originally published on angelamclean.ca)

Electronica/pop/rock songstress Lorde is currently on a full-fledged North American tour in support of her debut disc, ‘Pure Heroine’, which has been certified 2x Platinum in Canada. The “Royals” singer touched down in our home and native land a few days ago for two shows, including an outdoor show this past Friday, September 12 at Toronto’s TD Echo Beach, presented by Live Nation.

Canadian indie/electronic duo Majical Cloudz, consisting of members Devon Welsh and Matthew Otto, kicked off the night with a laid-back set. Matthew played the keyboard on an ironing board while Devon sang and took time to chat with the crowd after each song. The guys have a very unique sound, with some members of the audience calling them a “Canadian Bastille”, but it was refreshingly different and meshed well with Lorde’s style. After singing a selection of songs including “I Do Sing For You”, Devon pointed to one of the planes flying overhead and joked, “That’s our jet. We have to go now!”

Lorde’s 70-minute set had something for everybody. She opened with a fan favourite, “Glory and Gore”, and performed all 10 songs from ‘Pure Heroine’, as well as many of the deluxe edition’s bonus tracks. She also put her own twist on Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights” and Bon Iver’s “Heavenly Father”. If you looked away for a second, you missed a lot – accompanying Lorde’s amazing vocals were chandeliers, confetti, giant marquees, stand-alone archways, creative videos projected on a big screen, and smoky bubbles, which prompted the New Zealand native to exclaim, “Tonight is shaping out to be kind of beautiful.” Then, of course, Lorde’s gorgeous hair proved to be her favourite accessory, as she whipped it around in a way only Lorde can – we loved it!

Throughout the night, Lorde expressed her love for Toronto and her Canadian fans, many of whom had queued outside the venue at 6:30 a.m. to have the best spot in the crowd. “Everyone is so nice and so welcoming,” she explained. “Also, every time I come here I feel like I get to know you guys a little more.”

Introducing her song “Ribs”, 17-year-old Lorde talked about growing up, something many of her teenage fans could relate to. “Growing up is so fascinating to me,” she said. “I know you know what it feels like to wake up and say, ‘Do I just have to be an adult forever now?’ Something about being a teenager, you feel alone a lot, but growing up you think no one else could ever have possibly done this before. But Toronto, you’re here. What I feel and what you feel is the same.” She encouraged the crowd to hold up a light if they wanted to “feel like a part of something”, and it was a very special, intimate moment. “Let’s do this together,” she smiled.

Along with the sing-alongs, confetti catching and smoky bubble popping, fans danced along to “Bravado”, went wild for “Royals”, and shed a tear as Lorde performed her last song, “A World Alone”.

Lorde’s North American tour continues until October 12, when she performs at Austin City Limits in Austin, TX. For tour dates and ticket information, head to www.lorde.co.