Sia’s strange show a winner
The singer delivers unique, intriguing performance
Sia tried very hard not to be the star of her own show.
The Australian singersongwriter stood nearly motionless throughout her 75-minute set on Saturday at Oracle Arena in Oakland, well away from the spotlights, in one dark corner of the stage. She further hid behind her long bangs, which hung down past her eyes to her nose, and wouldn’t interact with the crowd until the show was nearly over.
She let her dancers own center stage, carrying out one skit/performance after another as Sia delivered the soundtrack. She even included scenes of Kristen Wiig and Paul Dano in the production — making it seem as if the two actors had joined her onstage, as they reportedly did during Sia’s Coachella performance — all of which further distracted the capacity crowd away from her.
It defied all the rules of a traditional pop concert, which is usually designed to focus every ounce of the audience’s attention on the star of the show. Yet, Sia’s bold gamble paid off, resulting in one of the most daringly original and wholly satisfying shows of 2016.
The fans probably didn’t know what they were getting into with Sia’s new Nostalgic for the Present Tour, her first arena trek, which kicked off Thursday in Seattle. Perhaps they were expecting a typical concert, with a singer who shows slightly more range of motion than a mannequin.
What they got, however, was more like a pop show crossed with performance art. It was part Bjork, part Lady Gaga, with shades of the iconic San Francisco performance-art band the Residents thrown in for good measure.
She kicked off her show with a soul-stirring version of the anthem “Alive,” which was also the first single off her seventh studio album, “This Is Acting.”
The vocalist, who released her debut album, “OnlySee,” way back in 1997, belted out, “I was born in a thunderstorm/ I grew up overnight/I played alone/I played on my own/I survived” with complete conviction as a dancer pranced about the stage.
Sia was playing a kind of narrator, singing the story lines from her songs as the emotions were amplified by Maddie Ziegler (the 14-year-old “Dance Moms” standout who rocketed to fame starring in several of Sia’s videos) and other dancers/performers.
The set design was effectively simple, serving as little more than a vessel to frame the action, and the special effects were kept to a minimum. This was all about drawing, and holding, our attention to the synergy of words and motion onstage.
The range of movement varied widely. During “Big Girls Cry,” from 2014’s “1000 Forms of Fear,” it was just a quick run through different facial expressions, shown on the big overhead screens. Then, in the same album’s “Elastic Heart,” two dancers battled it out as Sia questioned, “Why can I not conquer love?”
Paul Dano, who was absolutely brilliant as the young Brian Wilson in the music film “Love & Mercy,” appeared on screen as a businessman seemingly looking for something more from life during the new album’s “Bird Set Free.” A few songs later, Kristen Wiig, who also performed with Sia at the 2015 Grammy Awards, appeared. Both actors delivered great performances, broadcast across the arena on the video screens. (The show was so well put together, it was hard to figure out whether the two stars were actually onstage or just on the video.)
The one constant during all this was that Sia remained on the sidelines, with only her lips moving.
That might not have pleased everyone, especially those looking for a more traditional concert experience. Yet, Sia’s not a traditional artist, she’s an adventurer. And it will be so fascinating to see where the adventure leads her next.