Pop music, or more specifically, the flashiness of pop music, is often less than enjoyable to me. I put off the thought of attending a pop concert for years, believing that I would simply be paying an exorbitant amount of money to see a celebrity show lots of skin, perform unoriginal dances, and prove that auto-tune is alive and well.
I still have some respect for pop artists who I feel are more authentic, like Adele and Sia. Unlike the artists described above (you know who they are), they often present themselves as far more mature and write their music with heavy-hearted messages that are often absent from other radio hits. Both performed at Boston's TD Garden this past month, and although I couldn't finesse Adele tickets in time, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to attend Sia's "Nostalgic for the Present" tour.
Sia brought along two opening acts. The first was AlunaGeorge, an EDM group I had heard before a few times. Their performance, especially that of Aluna, embodied everything I dislike about pop music: scandalous outfits to distract us from the off-key singing and jerky dancing, the whole nine yards. About 45 minutes later came Miguel, a mediocre R&B artist who alienated every man in the room and espoused far-left viewpoints as well as a chanting of "Fuck Donald Trump."
Although the concert was supposed to start at 7, Sia didn't come out until 9:30. But once she took the stage, all eyes were on her. For the first song at least. Donning her signature over-sized wig and white bow, she quickly moved from center stage to a dark area of stage right in order to give nearly all of the audience's attention to the dancers.
The only focus we gave to Sia for most of the night was for her powerful belt. The woman is talented live, it's undeniable, but most of her vocals are untouched during post-production. Even more so, her set-list came from the album "This Is Acting," which is composed of recycled demo tracks that she had failed to pitch to other artists. It's only natural that Sia would embody the songs herself with perfect pitch and emotion.
As said before, Sia spent the majority of the show in the shadows and simply sang. She didn't entertain the audience with banter, flash her thighs from under her plain white dress, or really do much else other than focus on her quality vocals. And that is exactly what I was expecting and satisfied with. Sia doesn't use the sex appeal so many other pop artists employ to make her millions. Instead, she writes from the heart and uses only her own material, making an experience with her music very touchy-feely.
The show's visuals were very avant-garde, featuring an ensemble of dancers (including Maddie Ziegler) who performed skits and interpretive dance routines live synchronously with a pre-filmed video of the same routine played on the arena monitors. The costumes were strange; some dancers wore nude leotards, Sia wigs, oversized overalls, and giant hands. It was not so much a pop concert as it was an eighty-minute work of art.
"Diamonds," which was released by Rihanna but written by Sia, was included in the set-list and performed beautifully. It was easy to see how Rihanna emulated Sia during her recording, as the two were so similar. "Soon We'll Be Found" was crooned emotionally after "Cheap Thrills" and was easily one of the most underrated songs of the night. The biggest surprise of the night was the Shakira reject "Move Your Body," which featured an interpretive number on the effects of drug overdose but was also the only EDM banger of the night, and a fantastic one at that. And of course, the encore featuring her new single, "The Greatest," was a perfect closer.
So while Sia isn't the main focus of the show, it's rather like a live soundtrack. Her team knows how to put on a show that is memorable, authentic, and distinctly styled her way.
