I had been waiting for this weekend for what seemed like forever. To experience the full force of the lyrics I’ve been listening to since I was a freshman in high school was absolutely surreal. Lorde brought so much to life for me and seeing it all unfold in her two-hour performance is something that I’ll likely never forget.
The dancers opened the concert with “Sober” off of her second album titled “Melodrama.” The stage was filled with fog and blue lighting, Lorde just a voice in the speakers. The energy in the air gladly welcomed the anticipation we all felt, waiting for her to appear. As the second verse hit, she came out of the fog. The wait was over. We were welcomed to the "Melodrama World Tour, North American Dance."
“Sober” was followed by “Homemade Dynamite,” mimicking the progression of the “Melodrama” album. A sense of familiarity was shared within the crowd for the moment, and then we cut to her debut album, “Pure Heroine.” The colors of the lights were warmed as she told stories and sang songs of naivete and innocence, starkly contrasted with Disclosure’s “Magnets.” However, the most significant moment I can remember about this section of the performance is Lorde’s own remake of “Ribs.”
The lights dimmed to blues and whites, the dancers stood still and the music was calm. She introduced it with, “This is a song about a party,” leaving the rest up to our own interpretation. Everything felt like you were underwater as Lorde sang with incredible sincerity. This was the first song I had ever heard by Lorde and so everything about it reminded me of the start of it all.
The whole night was a light show that matched the mood of each song. Her costume changes added an effect to the music that turned every collection of lyrics into something more real than it was before the night had even begun. The ballads of her second album, “Hard Feelings,” “Writer in the Dark” and “Liability” ditched the big production as she opened her heart to all of us.
As the time passed and the night was coming to an end, Lorde may have initiated the best dance party that anybody who attends this tour will ever go to. “Perfect Places” brought everyone to a sense of cynical optimism before Lorde introduced the next song. She began by saying that this was the most raw, open and emotional song on the album for her, and that it is filled with feelings of both extreme joy and pain. The first chord of “Green Light” played and everyone screamed.
The song played on and the arena was vibrating, everyone jumping and screaming, the lights flashing and smiles on everyone’s faces. Confetti flew out in every direction and there was an overwhelming amount of passion in the room. I don’t think anything can compare to that particular moment.
The show closed with “Team,” as Lorde went into the crowd to say goodnight to all of us. The "Melodrama World Tour" is truly one of those experiences that I will never forget, as my closest friends and I bonded over the pure emotion of every lyric. In the end, Lorde was absolutely right. She really can murder a stage.
