Lorde gets better and better in concert
Singer delivers a triumphant show in support of her latest album, ‘Melodrama’
Lorde has been mighty good during her previous Bay Area performances, dating back to her soldout show at the Fillmore in 2013 and including her recent main stage set at the 2017 Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival.
Yet, she’s never been better than what fans witnessed Tuesday night at the Oracle Arena.
“Oakland — hello and welcome to the ‘Melodrama’ world tour,” Lorde said not long after taking the stage, opening up the roughly 90-minute set with an intoxicating “Sober.” “It’s so nice to be back in the Bay Area.”
We’ve long known about her strong singing voice, so wonderfully showcased on 2013’s “Pure Heroine,” which stands as one of the best debuts in pop music history as well as arguably the finest album of the decade. But she’s added so much to her game since she toured in support of that first record.
Where do we start? Well, remember that teen vocalist who didn’t move around much in concert? She’s gone, replaced by a 21-yearold superstar who is comfortable rocking a big arena stage. Lorde exuded confidence and charisma as she continued through “Homemade Dynamite,” one of the 11 superb songs that you’ll find on her latest album, 2017’s “Melodrama.”
Sure, “Melodrama” might not have been the same kind of commercial juggernaut as “Pure Heroine,” which helps explain why Oracle Arena wasn’t sold out Tuesday. But it’s certainly an amazing artistic achievement, which earned rave reviews and even ended up being nominated for album of the year at the 2018 Grammy Awards. Unfortunately, “Melodrama” lost out to Bruno Mars’ inferior “24K Magic.”
“Melodrama” is thick with ideas, both musical and lyrically, and there’s more for listeners to digest with each listen. That’s one of the reasons why this album should age very well, to the point where I truly believe people will one day refer to it as an outright masterpiece.
That hypothesis was only strengthened by hearing how well these new songs — such as “Louvre” and “Sober II ( Melodrama)” — translated in the live arena.
She had a few backing dancers, who brought a modern dance/performance art feel to some of the numbers. There was also one cool prop — a big glass box — that Lorde and the dancers would sometimes enter for melodramatic effect. There were even some video screens that would occasionally flicker on. And let’s not forget the accompanying musicians, who were slightly visible in the shadow sat the back of the stage.
Yet Lorde was such a wholly compelling performer that it was hard to pay attention to anything else happening. She just dominated our attention and fascination during every moment of the concert.
The alt- pop star, who sounds very little like Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Demi Lovato or other vocalists routinely heard on mainstream radio, enthralled when she sang, of course. But she was also quite engaging when she spoke to the audience, recalling past Bay Area performances — especially her 2014 show at the beautiful Greek Theatre in Berkeley — as well as marveling at the size of the venue she was playing Tuesday night.
“Do the Warriors play here?” she asked.
Lorde has played Oracle Arena before, as part of the Not So Silent Night concerts in 2013. Just like during that show, fans loved hearing Lorde perform the wellknown material from the first album, such as “Tennis Court” and, of course, “Royals.”
And it was pretty cool to hear her add a couple of covers into themix— Frank Ocean’s “Solo” and Disclosure’s “Magnets.”
Yet the best material of this concert came from the new album. In particular, Lorde absolutely wowed with her strong, versatile and emotional vocal work on the sparse and intimate “Writer in the Dark” and “Liability.”
She ended the main set on an upbeat note, as she unleashed the rocking “Green Light,” which was one of last year’s best singles, despite what its sales figures would have you believe.
“I need you to dance. I need you to sing. I need you to give me everything,” Lorde said leading into “Green Light.” “Can you do that?”
The fans proved that they were fully capable, as they poured-their energy into the song and cheered their heroine toward the finish line.