Lana Del Rey has been one of my favorite musical artists for a long time. For many years of my life, her music has provided a soundtrack to countless emotions and experiences I have gone through. Amidst her four-year touring break following her 2019 NFR! tour, I yearned for the day I would get to see her perform live. On Sep. 23, I attended her concert in West Palm Beach, Florida and had a great experience.
Del Rey has infamously been late to many of her shows, so I was not entirely surprised when, after missing the opening set by Zella Day, I still had a 40-minute wait before she came onstage. The crowd atmosphere was electric as I and the others in attendance eagerly anticipated her entrance. At long last, the music swelled and out she came, beginning the show.
Known for her mysterious and magnetic stage presence, Del Rey was practically ethereal as she performed. The vocal evolution she has undergone throughout her career was more notable than ever to me, as she sounded smoother and more graceful than I have ever heard her. Multicolored lights shone on and around her as she serenaded us, while screens behind her played clips from some of her most iconic music videos to set the mood for the songs.
The setlist is one of the most important components of any concert. Fans come in with all different kinds of expectations, and it is up to the artist to choose which songs they will sing wisely in order to give their fans the best experience possible. Going into the concert, I expected the majority of the setlist to come from her most recent release “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd”. However, while the concert was progressing I was surprised to realize that only roughly a third of the songs she was singing came from that album. The rest of the setlist was comprised of beloved songs from her previous albums, such as “Video Games”, “Pretty When You Cry” and “Ride”. I thought this made for a great concert experience because, even though I was a fan of her last album, having never seen her live before I was glad to get to experience some of my favorite songs from past albums live as well. The only thing about the set list that bothered me was that she did not perform “Florida Kilos”, a bonus track from her second studio album “Ultraviolence”. Considering the show took place in Florida, performing the song certainly would have added a nice, personalized touch to the concert.
With this concert, Lana Del Rey more than solidified herself in my mind as one of my favorite recording artists; she also cemented herself as one of the most captivating live performers I have ever watched.
