Singer, songwriter, Lorde makes her stop in the nation’s capital on the Ultrasound Tour. As a long time fan, it was exciting to finally see her live and hear her say that DC has been the best show with the best fans she had the whole tour.
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, or more popularly known as Lorde is a New Zealand singer. She gained popularity with her 2013 debut album, Pure Heroine with song writing that resonated with fans discussing adolescence and the fears that come with growing up. While being in the music industry for over ten years her popularity has continued to grow with young people. I personally got into Lorde’s work during Covid with her 2017 album Melodrama, with her raw and personal lyrics and production connecting with me and other fans.
Virgin, Lorde’s most recent album has come with praise from fans for its unique metallic sound and lyrics discussing self-discovery and rebirth in songs like “Man of the Year” and “If She Could See Me Now.” With the release of Virgin, Lorde announced the Ultrasound tour spanning across the US and many other countries. The day the tickets went on sale was extreme between fans, with shows selling out in the span of minutes. Due to the high demand, a second DC date was added on October 5th.
On the day of the concert fans were excited, man had camped out all day to get good general admission spots. I got there around 6:30pm and had a pretty decent view of the show, however, fans were neck and neck with each other and The Anthem had no working AC with water being passed about to fans before the openers started. The two openers were Channel Beads and The Japanese House. While completely different artists sonically, both were engaging with the audience and gave good performances before the main act.
Lorde officially got the show started with a bang with her playing “Hammer,” a song about rebirth and questioning identity as she navigates adulthood. The show was electrifying with songs from throughout her music career. Fans were ecstatic and screamed the lyrics to songs such as “Buzzcut Season,” “Broken Glass” and “Perfect Places,” combined with stellar visuals which enhanced the show’s aesthetic. A highlight of the show came before she sang “Liability,” in which she explained how much it means to her that her songs have transcended beyond the meaning she (Lorde) gave to them.
“David,” Lorde’s most popular song off of her album Virgin, played second to last before the show finished and was extremely intimate and emotive. Following that, was a stark contrast with the final song being “Ribs” filled with singing and dancing throughout the jam-packed coward of both young and old. While Lorde herself has started out as an artist who wrote about what it’s like to be a teenager, she has become much more than that and transcends among not just the young people of today, but the young people of the past and the future.
