It felt like a hurricane passed through the Aragon as Florence Welch performed for a packed house without air conditioning on a Saturday night. With her first album “Lungs” released back in 2009, and a second album rumored to be released this year, Florence’s short repertoire did not affect the power this woman can deliver. Accompanied by six other musicians (including a harp player), Florence and the Machine literally mesmerized the audience from beginning to end with an exquisite and melodramatic live show.
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Florence and the Machine |
Aragon Ballroom
Chicago, Ill.
June 18, 2011
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Wearing a long, sleek emerald gown and veil that helped accentuate her slender body and model-like long legs, Florence opened the night with “My Boy Builds Coffins”, a soft introduction to what was about to come. Watching her performance is not like watching an up and coming indie rock band, with people staring at the band and nodding their heads up and down in the rhythm of the music. For so many of us accustomed to the mildly depressive English bands that barely move while performing, or that are unable to utter an understandable word to the audience, Florence is the outlier poster child. Florence delivers a Broadway show instead.
Performing every song as if it were a play, Florence did not spare of poetic, almost exaggerated gestures that went along so well with her powerful, strong voice. Looking like she had transcended from a fairytale comic book, she led her cheerful audience with the drumming stick as if we were her own orchestra for “Drumming Song”. The tune “Howl” was introduced with plenty of throbbing lights as Florence squeaked so loud it could possibly scare the faintest fans. “Cosmic Love” and ‘You’ve Got the Love” again brought the audience into a frenzy as she swiveled barefoot across the stage. She also performed “Strangeness and Charm”, anticipated to come out on her next album, and a Lady Gaga cover “Judas /Blinding”. Surprisingly, she did not play “Girl with One Eye” and “Kiss with a Fist”, one of her first composed songs.
The night peaked with the hit “Dog Days Are Over” for the final encore. An entranced, over joyous crowd clapped and sang in unison as Florence led them to the final chaos, before she swiveled in her gown for the last time, in an overly dramatic reverence to the audience before vanishing back to Neverland.
It was hard to go unnoticed that so many young females “looked” like Florence that evening. There were several mini-Florences everywhere throughout the venue. Surely it isn’t only her unique hair and über fashionable clothing style that draws so many young females. Florence has a sweet-edged, dark glow around her, and she manages to carry herself with so much strength and elegance that seems natural for fans to elevate her from rock idol to role model status.
Florence Welch rocked the place out with her majestic presence and voice. It was obvious though, that her comfort zone and talent goes way beyond composing and singing. Her captivating presence shined as she performed her songs and led the crowd with so much strength and grace. The result? An over animated audience that sang every single word of her tunes, jumped, clapped and cheered all night leaving a stream of happy, bubbly, positive energy behind.
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