Last Monday evening, November 24, singer Lorde took to the stage at AFAS Live with her Ultrasound tour. This marked the first of two shows she is performing in Amsterdam, with the second taking place tonight (25 November), featuring The Japanese House as the support act.
Lorde’s set began at 9:00 PM. From the very first notes, the sold-out venue could be heard singing along at full volume. She opened the show with the song ‘Hammer’.
Throughout the performance, there was a strong visual element with extensive use of video projections. Footage from cameras placed at various points in the venue was projected onto the large screen at the back of the stage. There were also crew members and dancers on and around the stage capturing additional footage for the screen, which added an extra dynamic layer to the show. This was already noticeable during ‘Hammer’.
After just the first song, beads of sweat were clearly visible on the singer’s forehead.
She continued with ‘Royals’, undoubtedly one of the most recognizable songs in the setlist. The crowd immediately grew even louder. I personally really enjoyed this choice. Many artists save their biggest hit for the finale, but I liked that she chose to place it so early in the show.
Another striking element was the lighting design. There was a lot of creative play with light throughout the performance. At times the atmosphere felt almost cinematic, while at other moments the contrast was very strong and bold. A perfect example was during ‘Perfect Places’, when the entire stage was bathed in blue light, which suited the song beautifully.
Next up was ‘Shapeshifter’. What stood out to me here was the amount of dancing. Of course, movement is to be expected at a concert, but the choreography consisted of very abstract, almost modern dance-like movements. I hadn’t seen anything quite like this at a concert before and found it genuinely intriguing.
During ‘Supercut’, the creative use of the various cameras returned. Lorde walked to the very edge of the stage and lay down on her side, where she was filmed by a camera positioned at the front. A treadmill was also brought onto the stage, with one of the dancers walking on it. Eventually, Lorde stood up and stepped onto the treadmill herself.
After this song, Lorde invited one of her dancers onto the stage during ‘GRWM’. The dancer held a camera that projected the live footage directly onto the screen behind them. Lorde was standing in just a shirt and her underwear while the dancer filmed her up close.
This was followed by ‘400 Lux’, ‘The Louvre’, ‘Oceanic Feeling’ and ‘Big Star’. During ‘Big Star’, the singer sat on the stage floor and performed the song in a calm, intimate manner. Once the song ended, it was time for her to address the audience, as the first notes of ‘Liability’ began to play.
For those who would like to know what she shared with the audience, here is what she said:
‘Wow, you’re very, very pretty, I have to say. Every sort of three nights I get overwhelmed that a whole bunch of people want to come and hang out with me in a room.
You would think this wouldn’t still be happening because I’ve been doing this for 13 years now, but… It’s kind of happening more, to be honest. I turned 29 about a week ago. And I’m in an incredibly reflective mood.
I don’t know, I feel like the end of the year shit get very contemplative for me. And, uh… Yeah, the older I get, every year that passes and we’re still meeting up like this, it’s very moving and very, very special. And it gives me a lot of faith in our world, to be honest.
That a whole group of people with just this thread in common, which is we all kind of dream the same dreams and fall apart to a similar soundtrack. That we all want to pack into a room and rub shoulders and shed tears and hold each other. There’s nothing more beautiful and more pure to me.
And the truth is, I don’t always know what I’m doing. I never know why I’m doing it. I just walk in the direction that I’m meant to walk in and listen to my gut and the wind and my mother telling me, walk that way.
And it’s scary sometimes, and it’s lonely sometimes. But it makes me feel really loved and very much connected to something bigger than myself to know that you’ve been walking beside me the entire time, Amsterdam.
It’s so, so, so special. So, if this is medicine you need tonight or if you’re just here for fun, you know, take a sec, open all the way up right now because this is, this is the one that makes me cry. And we all need each other.
And I really believe the most beautiful gift you can give is your love and your presence and your company to a bunch of your friends and strangers, so… Let’s sing the song about being all alone all together right now, okay?’
When she began singing the song afterward, I instantly got goosebumps. There was a strong sense of connection throughout the crowd, which was truly beautiful to witness.
She then performed ‘Clearblue’. It seemed as though she was holding a device in her hands to control the vocal effects herself. At the same time, a sort of holographic shower effect appeared around her while she sang.
After this, Lorde disappeared to the back of the stage together with a dancer. It was clear that she had removed her shirt, although the audience couldn’t fully see what was happening. When the lights came back on, she was sitting on a stage prop with her chest completely taped. She then performed ‘Man of the Year’. I found the styling and presentation a very bold choice, especially when she proceeded to walk further across the stage. I think many people were holding their breath, wondering whether the tape would stay in place. That aside, it was a powerful performance.
Next came ‘If She Could See Me Now’. For this song, the singer put a top back on, which made sense considering how intensely she was moving. Personally, I wouldn’t have dared to do otherwise.
A nice touch was that the front of the stage occasionally lifted upward, allowing everyone a better view of her. This was also the case during this song.
She then continued with ‘Team’ and ‘What Was That’. When she launched into ‘Green Light’, the entire room went wild once again. If I had to guess, this was one of the songs the audience had been most eagerly awaiting. The atmosphere turned into a full-on celebration.
The final song of the main set was ‘David’. The stage filled with smoke and she appeared wearing a glowing jacket. During the performance, she stepped off the stage and moved into the crowd, walking diagonally from the front of the stage through the audience toward a small platform at the back of the venue. Because the rest of the room remained dark, her glowing jacket made it easy to follow her path through the audience. Once again, a camera followed her to capture the moment.
Upon reaching the smaller stage, she performed ‘Ribs’ as the encore. The fans standing around her could hardly believe their eyes, visibly stunned that she was suddenly standing so close. She hugged several fans and closed the show this way.
Lorde once again gave her fans an incredible night. Vocally, she was strong, and the overall concept of the tour was impressive to witness. The use of cameras on stage provided an extra behind-the-scenes perspective of what was happening during the performance. The fans were also incredibly kind to one another. If someone wanted to dance wildly, people often stepped back to make space, ensuring no one was bumped into.
All in all, it was a wonderfully memorable evening. Lorde knows exactly what her fans want, and that’s precisely what they were given.
Lorde
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