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Lorde brings needed sunshine to sold-out Armory

April 26, 2022

Lorde and Remi Wolf performed at the Armory on April 25, 2022Darin Kamnetz for MPR

Despite temperatures only in the high 30s, fans huddled in a line outside of the Armory on Monday, April 25, for a chance to score a front-row spot at the sold-out Lorde show. The last time the New Zealand singer, born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, visited Minnesota was also her first, when she toured after the release of her second album, Melodrama in 2018.

Since then, she released Solar Power in 2021 to mixed reviews—but based on the energy of the sardine-packed Armory crowd, you could tell the die-hard fans were Lorde devotees and 100% on board for her evolution.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Lorde’s performance, knowing she recently postponed her Connecticut and Washington, D.C. dates due to “horrendous laryngitis.” However, the time off must have provided the healing and downtime she needed to return for two sold-out Chicago dates over the weekend before heading to the Armory for a set full of costume changes, dramatic lighting, and a massive rotating sundial staircase, creating an air of a dreamscape that managed to feel intimate despite the full 8,400-person capacity venue.

The crowd she drew was a mixed bag of couples in their 30s, parents with kids, and packs of Gen Z folks sneaking smooches with their significant others. Lorde’s departure from her first two electro-pop albums led to a smoother, more organic (and sometimes acoustic) pop sound of Solar Power that was reflected in the flower-child-meets-‘90-revival fashion of the crowd. Crop tops, wide-leg pants, groovy knit halters in swirled colors, and bandanas adorned the bodies of those showing up to sing along to the new sun-drenched and introspective album. There were also the much-beloved hits from Melodrama and her triple-platinum breakout Pure Heroine.

The night kicked off with ex-American Idol contestant and professional junior skier, (yes, you read that correctly) Remi Wolf. The Palo Alto native bounded on stage and, with curls bouncing, commanded the crowd with her smoky, soulful voice and stage presence. I heard a nearby concertgoer say “she’s gonna be huge in a year,” and your humble, but dedicated, reviewer could not agree more.

Wolf knows how to have FUN. On top of that, she sure as hell knows how to use her voice, going from sultry low notes to Joplin-esqe screams that drew cheers from the crowd during her “Disco Man.” She is a certified genre-bender who easily melds together pop, funk, soul, and R&B. Throughout her set, she beamed while she pogoed around the stage. The crowd ate up her demeanor, and she and the band used every inch of the sliver of the stage they were allotted. She settled for a moment to sing a “slow and pretty” cover of Radiohead’s “High and Dry” that gave me chills. The bombastic “Quiet on Set” led to her viral TikTok hit, “Photo ID,” her last song before the band left the stage, but not before thoroughly priming the audience for Lorde.

Lorde’s voice greeted concertgoers as she kicked off her set with the dreamy and melodic “Leader of a New Regime” as she stood behind a screen at the base of the sundial structure, backlit with only her shadow hinting at her presence. She stepped out from behind the screen to huskily croon “Homemade Dynamite” wearing a satiny sky blue bra under an oversized white button-up and loose black pants. During “Buzzcut Season,” the audience enjoyed dramatic shadows with a pulsing red background that thudded with the drums like a heartbeat. Lorde stood on the stairs and the crowd caught their first glimpse of her band’s color-coordinated mustard yellow suits. The rich hue of the golden yellow evoked an image of sunflowers, summer, and warmth on par for the tour’s theme.

Lorde charmed the crowd after her first three songs. One of her talents is the ability to connect with the throngs of her fans, insisting people take care of one another and that concertgoers ask her if they need anything. Throughout her set she doubles down on this, pausing to make sure people are ok, expressing a desire to want to squeeze fans, and thanking attendees for believing in her. She even goes as far as to make the crowd repeat twice “Ella believes in me.” Stuff like this could easily feel hokey or disingenuous, but the genuine care with which she treats her fans makes it come across like the real deal.

After a few more songs, she emerged again in a lavender dress with flowing, petal-like ruffles twisting to cover her chest. She drifted into two bittersweet songs “The Path” and “California.” Not to dampen the mood for too long, she followed with “Ribs” off of Pure Heroine. I imagine a 15-year-old Lorde writing lyrics saying “it feels so scary getting old” and how that sentiment still resonates for her fans of any age. But maybe, it hits especially hard for those that have grown and changed with her over the last decade and observed the world around us. If anyone was feeling that fear, none of it was exhibited negatively as the floor flexed with bodies bouncing along to the beat. “Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen it All)” brought the energy up even more with a rolling chorus and a speaking portion that allowed her to sneak away for another costume change.

This time, she wore a lustrous bubblegum-pink off-the-shoulder high-necked top that ended with underwire and cargo pants to match. She waved her hands mystically to “Mood Ring” as if she was trying to conjure something with the crystals she mentions in the lyrics. For “Sober,” she climbed the stairs of the sundial as they rippled with light along with pleading drums. Band members were behind a screen, clinging to one another, adding to the theatrics of the gorgeous set. Perhaps the only moment that topped this was when the confetti cannons exploded in a burst of cheery canary-colored confetti when “Solar Power” reached its final chorus. Then came the energetic “Green Light” and nostalgia-inducing “Oceanic Feeling,”—perfect for a sun-starved crowd aching for warmer weather. Lorde brought us this mirage, and we were more than willing to accept.

Her encore outfit was a forest green floor-length mesh dress. The cross-front halter had her looking like a Hollywood starlet or a disco queen as she stood in front of the moon-like glowing base of the sundial that cast a warm glow onto her frame. Low bass rumbled as she sang “Royals," the tune that launched her to where she is today. She closed out the evening with “Team,” which seemed more than fitting considering how delicately she treats her fans she fosters a sense of community and positivity among the crowd. From the group that helped get someone having a panic attack out of the melee to those passing bottled water back into the crowd, and the sweet sisters who showed up with their dad that chatted with me throughout the night and saved my spot when I had to step away, everyone exemplified what Lorde said as she called it a night, “we’re on each other’s team.”

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