Lorde Strikes a Delicate Balance In Concert

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More than a year after her pop breakthrough with the #1 smash hit single "Royals," 17-year-old Ella Yelich-O'Connor, aka Lorde, still seems a bit nonplussed by her success. That genuine emotional response gives her stage show an intimacy that cuts through the separation between artist and audience often felt at a pop or rock concert. Much like her debut album Pure Heroine, Lorde's concert presentation is impressive for such a young artist, but there is plenty of room for artistic growth which makes me very eager for what is yet to come as she matures into an adult artist.

Lorde's Milwaukee debut took place in one of the city's most beautiful concert settings. The BMO Harris Pavilion is situated on the shore of Lake Michigan with a postcard view of the city's skyline to one side. Late September in Wisconsin is an iffy time weather-wise to hold an outdoor concert, but there were no problems for this show. Lorde mentioned more than once from the stage her pleasure of performing in such a pleasing setting.

For those who have seen any of the many TV performances Lorde has given over the past year, her delivery from the stage would have been familiar. Seeming lost in the music, she tosses her long, wavy hair and often dances in spastic jerks to the rhythm of the songs. After she mentioned how much she loves to just turn on music in her bedroom and dance alone, it was obvious that her style on stage could easily be descended from what she does at those more personal moments alone at home.

There is a similarity in sound among many of the songs from Lorde's debut album Pure Heroine that caused the show to bog down a bit in the middle, but you would not have known by the responses of a highly supportive audience.

A key part of Lorde's appeal are her thoughtful and creative lyrics, so for those who know the songs well, the similarity in sound may not have been a compelling issue as they happily sang along lost in emotion. The just under 80 minute show covered all of the songs from the standard version of Pure Heroine, plus a few that were added in deluxe versions of the album. In addition, two cover songs, Kanye West's "Flashing Lights" and "Heavenly Father" by Wisconsin's own Bon Iver, were added to the mix and seemed well suited for the young artist.

Before performing her song "Ribs," Lorde spoke to the audience in a monologue that moved from insightful and thought-provoking for an artist so young to somewhat naive comments reminding the audience she is still a teenager for whom turning 18 feels like growing old. The comments were delivered with graciousness, charm, and intimacy.

Following "Ribs," Lorde appeared in suitable flowing red and delivered the #1 smash "Royals" in an arrangement that began in stripped down fashion with little accompaniment. Her second top 10 hit "Team" was the all stops out performance of the night filled with flashing lights and instrumental roar from the stage. It was a welcome cathartic experience for the audience. In an unusual fashion for most concerts today by major pop artists, Lorde announced she was performing the final song for the night, the low key album closer "A World Alone," and the show was over. There was no encore, and somehow that felt appropriate. The true encore will be what is yet to come in the career of this most compelling of teen pop artists.