Lorde invited all of New York to her dinner table, which happened to be at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn. That is how the 21-year-old pop star described her Melodrama World Tour to her almost 20,000 guests. She told the attentive audience she feels as if she’s “catching up” with fans when she plays her set. “What’s been going on?” she asks. “Are you dating anyone?”
Her chill, but composed vibe carried her through her 90-minute set as she effortlessly served her emotional lyrics and loose, but calculated interpretive dance moves onto the table of the sold-out show. The overarching quality Lorde portrayed was her skill of being able to connect with guests and making them feel the slightest bit of intimacy in the packed arena.
One of the most intimate moments of the Brooklyn show was her inspirational speech to fans as she introduced “Writer in the Dark.” She explained that the deep song is about someone she knows and loves (“Now she’s gonna sing and play and lock you in her heart,” the lyrics say), and for some, it may be shocking to lay out her personal life to be cut into like that. However, she encouraged fans to follow their paths. “You have to be whatever you were meant to be, there is no other life. You have to be the vivid dreamer, you have to be the over-reactor, you have to be the hopeless romantic. You have to be the writer.”
The most intimate section of her show, however, may be when she brought producer and friend Jack Antonoff onto the set to accompany her with a guitar as she sang her take on St. Vincent’s “New York.” She literally told guests that they were in her house that night, but she proved that by talking to Antonoff as if they were sitting on her bedroom floor making music. He casually strolled onto stage wearing a hooded jacket and jeans and Lorde made sure she pointed out his gum chewing. “Are you chewing gum?!” She exclaimed with a profanity attached. Antonoff did not let her off easy, though, as he reminded her that she has walked through New York barefoot and eaten sushi from a convenience store. They finished their set with a reprise of “Hard Feelings” and a completely impromptu and successful accompaniment from Antonoff on piano for a gorgeous performance of “Liability.”
Although Lorde has already completed about 20 shows in America and has finished the Australian and New Zealand legs of her tour, she made the Brooklyn show feel special. The New Zealand native talked about how much of her inspiration came from New York City, as she spent months living there as she produced her sophomore album in Greenwich Village. Regardless of where she is, she explained she can’t help but think of the Big Apple when she recites her lyrics. “I can’t hide from you,” she told the crowd. “You know me. You know this record.”
Lorde finished the night with an invigorating performance of “Green Light,” the first single off the Grammy-nominated album, which was released just over a year ago. She came back with a three-song encore, which consisted of “Loveless,” “Precious Metals” and “Team.” She did not leave the stage, though, without running off the stage and hopping into the arms of some of the lucky first and second row audience members who undoubtedly needed to be pinched after getting a hug or high-five from the singer.
Lorde made a 20,000 person show into a hang-out session, in which she could have been anyone in the crowd’s best friend or confidant. She made herself vulnerable to the audience as she let it into her innermost thoughts. The only thing that could have made it better, though, was actually being at a dinner table with Lorde, chatting with a few close friends.
Cover photo courtesy of Unsplash.com.