With a new, stadium-ready record to perform under her belt, Elena Jane (Ellie) Goulding is prepared to wow masses and breakthrough into the United States. The 29 year-old English singer-songwriter has been on the scene for quite some time, but has gained international popularity with singles like “Lights”, “Anything Can Happen”, “Burn” and “Love Me Like You Do” from the 50 Shades of Grey franchise giving her voice a chance to be played on the radio.
During the North American leg of her Delirium World Tour, the larger arenas have given Goulding a chance to let her voice and stage presence shine through to her audience with her fearless candor, quick wit and warm personality.
In her recent St. Louis stop, Goulding was just coming off of her show in Indianapolis, IN, riddled with technical difficulties and a delayed start time for her show. Unfortunately, the tides continued to turn against her as her opening act could not perform -- Years and Years cancelled the rest of their booked shows due to illness.
However, this didn’t stop Goulding’s shine. As the news broke that she had no opener, Goulding had this to say:
As a caring, wonderful gesture to her fans, she came out prior to her show and played a stripped-down acoustic set for her audience. Armed with her guitar and her airy-soprano voice, Ellie wowed the audience with two songs from her first record, “Guns and Horses” and “Starry Eyed." She then moved to her most famous covers of “How Long Will I Love You” by The Waterboys, and ended her small set with Elton John’s “Your Song." She left the stage as graciously as she came, and the audience was hungry for more.
After an interlude, Ellie came back on the give her main performance. Starting off with her new record’s introduction and title track, images of her flickered on her set’s screen with dramatic finesse and dynamic lighting effects. The crowd was eager to see her start, and she led her set off with “Aftertaste."
Throughout the concert, Goulding broke into routines with her dancers during songs with the brightest smile on her face. There’s nothing quite like seeing a performer enjoy every second of what they’re doing, and the audience could tell that Ellie is living her dream.
It’s not often that we see an artist with as much energy as Ellie Goulding; she consistently gives 110 percent of herself to the stage, no matter how big the crowd. As a fan of Goulding for over five years, watching her reach grow has not changed who she is at her very core.
If you get a chance to see her show, go. It’s more than worth it. With a dynamic set, songs that you can move to and a multi-talented performer giving her all, Ellie Goulding sends her audiences into delirium.
