Reigning music queen Lorde opened her U.S. tour in Austin last night and the prevailing sentiment among reviewers is that the “Royals” singer ruled over the audience.
Below is a review round-up, following by Lorde”s upcoming tour dates. If you don”t have already tickets, be aware the shows are already sold out.
Rolling Stone: Lorde began the opening night of her first full-fledged U.S. tour completely alone. With only a solitary microphone at center stage of the sold-out Austin Music Hall, the pop sensation slinked out front while funereal synth tones set the mood before the opening lines of “Glory and Gore.”It was a move that put every bit of focus on the 17-year-old New Zealander and served as something of a template for the whole of the 70-minute show; the singer writhing and occasionally convulsing in time with the punishing beats of her gothic pop songs, her startling voice buffeted by rounds of backup vocals to make every moment as impactful as possible…Even as a young woman the singer is clearly comfortable and in control onstage and when a black curtain behind her dropped to reveal her only two band members – on drums and keyboards – the picture of Lorde as a performer became even cleare
Austin 360: It”s not until you see her live that you fully realize this truth: It is deeply weird that Lorde is a global pop star….Lorde, with her smoky studio-good vocals, performs like a girl possessed. Actually possessed. Like, Linda Blair possessed. With her untamed, wavy anemone hair and dark lipstick, she would give off an authentic goth vibe, even if she didn”t also dress exactly like The Cure”s Robert Smith (right down to the shiny black boots). There she was, choppily jerking her body like a stop-motion marionette to each haunting beat of “Biting Down.” With every spasm, the crowd absolutely lost its mind – even (or especially) the middle-schoolers.
Austin Chronicle: “She stood tall and lean at the Austin Music Hall, flanked by two anonymous bodies and their smokestack electronics, first date of her tour and first show since netting a Grammy for Song of the Year. The place was stuffed: teens, snobs, a whole grip of stressed-out moms. Obvious first concert for a number of souls. Good. Pop”s majesty was on full display.God bless the honesty of Lorde. God bless her cult, god bless young talent both unbelievably popular and happily unrefined, god bless a crowd of kids far too enchanted to talk through the deep cuts. Maybe even bless the music industry for trusting her with her own songs, her own style, her own voice.”
WUSA: “Despite the awkward mysterious front the 17-year singer has in interviews and acceptance speeches, singing into a microphone is what she does best. In her tropical gothic black outfit and dark lipstick, the New Zealand singer twitched and writhed with the beat of her tracks in only the way that she can.
Lorde tour dates:
March 4 – Southside Ballroom, Dallas
March 5 – Bayou, Houston
March 7 – Echostage, Washington, D.C.
March 8 – Tower Theatre, Philadelphia
March 11-12 – Roseland Ballroom, New York
March 14 – Orpheum, Boston
March 15 – Sound Academy, Toronto
March 16 – Fillmore, Detroit
March 18 – Aragon, Chicago
March 20 – Peabody Opera House, St. Louis
March 21 – Arvest Bank Theatre, Kansas City, Mo.
March 22 – Fillmore Auditorium, Denver
March 24 – WAMU Theater, Seattle
March 26 – Fox, Oakland, Calif.