This week I found myself in a sea of people that were all in the same place for the same reason: the amazingly talented Lights. The best part about being in this room was the unity felt through the magic of Lights’ message in her music and how it brings people together. This feeling was felt the entire night and then flowed over into the next morning.
When the lights went down right before the start of her set, the amount of excitement felt throughout the room was amazing. I’ve been to a lot of shows in my life, but this one was unique because you could really feel how important this one person was to so many individuals.
The set started with one of my personal favorites from her newest album Skin&Earth, “New Fears.” The lighting that went along with the track was so aesthetically pleasing, it was hard to look away – and I’m glad I didn’t. The presence Lights has on stage is contagious. You can’t help but feel overly excited, alongside everyone around you.
Lights played about twenty songs that night and with each one, I grew more and more impressed with her talent. She has amazing control over her voice that can be heard in her recordings, but live, it is another story.
On top of the talent that came along with her musicianship, it was easy to tell that she was very down-to-earth, and was thoroughly enjoying herself on stage. At one point someone on her team brought out her synthesizer inside of a pizza box, which made for a really entertaining introduction to “Up We Go.”
As the show went on, each song was better than the next and at about halfway through the show, the band exited the stage and visuals from her Skin&Earth comics flashed across a screen. After the sequence finished up, the stage was set for a mini acoustic set. I didn’t think it was possible for her to impress me anymore than she already had, but I was wrong because the acoustic songs made me feel things I haven’t felt at a show in a long time.
Photo by Jamie Hampton.
My favorite moment in the acoustic portion of the show was when she sang “Face Up.” I remember standing there and feeling like I was alone in a crowded room as she sang the words that spoke to me on a deeper level. There wasn’t a second during this song that I didn’t have chills running down my arms.
Another stand out moment in the night was when she decided to surprise me with one of my all time favorites, “Fight Club.” Not only was the song amazing, the visuals were clips from “Sailor Moon,” which is a childhood favorite for me. That was easily one of the best moments of the night.
She ended the night with “Almost Had Me,” which is the final track on Skin&Earth and features Josh Dun from twenty one pilots on the drums. Unfortunately, Josh wasn’t there to play his part, but the song was still amazing live. My last thought of the night was that I was leaving that show feeling almost enlightened because of Lights and her art.