A couple of years ago, I had the chance to see Laufey in concert with the Houston Symphony. This was well before she got majorly popular, and I was just starting to become a fan. At the time, I decided not to get the tickets because it was too expensive. Oh, how I would come to regret that. I did not anticipate her rise to stardom and quickly realized my mistake. I promised myself that if the opportunity ever arose again, I would jump on it. So when I found out that she was on tour and stopping in Houston, I knew I had to get tickets. I eagerly refreshed the website over and over again, hoping that I could finally see one of my favorite artists live. After a stressful hour, I got the tickets and could not have been more excited.
Last weekend I finally got to see her perform, and it was by far the best concert I have ever been to. Upon arriving, you could see the hordes of people in white flowy skirts, Mary Janes, and lacey bows. Every single person had gone above and beyond for this concert. Multiple guys wore full-on suits, and some girls even wore their prom dresses. It was clear from just this how much people cared about her music.Â
Before the concert even started, you could feel the sense of community in the venue. Every single person I spoke with was incredibly nice and so excited. The opener for the night was Suki Waterhouse who I actually happened to listen to before even hearing about the concert. She did an incredible job and definitely gained some new fans that night.
About 20 minutes after Suki was done, Laufey finally graced us with her presence. The whole of the Toyota Center seemed to turn into a whimsical castle. Everyone was screaming from the top of their lungs to see Laufey. Once she started speaking, though, the screaming immediately quieted. People started to lightly sing along with the music, but not a single person was obnoxiously screaming lyrics. There seemed to be a consensus among all of us that we wanted to hear Laufey. That’s why we were there.Â
The setlist went from jazzy pop songs to sullen ballads, one right after the other, giving you emotional whiplash (in a good way). There were so many moments throughout the concert where we would be lightly swaying and feeling the music. It was truly enchanting being in a place where so many people shared your same passion and love for something, being surrounded by individuals who understood and resonated with the same music as you.Â
One of the songs I want to talk about that she sang is “Snow White”. “Snow White” is a song from her album, A Matter of Time, and one of my favorites. It discusses topics of comparing yourself to others, feeling like you are not enough, and not living up to expectations. When she performed this song, she mentioned that initially she was hesitant to release it because it did not have a very uplifting or happy message. After some thought, though, she decided to release it because it was something she thought so many people could relate to. I am so happy that she did. This song resonates with me a lot, and I could tell based on the reaction of the crowd that it did with a lot of other people too. That is one of the wonderful things about music and writing. It can affect so many people and bring them together.Â
Towards the end of the show, Laufey plays a surprise song. In Houston, we were lucky enough to hear her new song, “Risk”, that she wrote for a movie coming out called A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. This was such a special experience because she had never played this song live before and insinuated that she likely never would again.Â
The last song Laufey performed was “A Letter to My 13-Year-Old Self”. Before playing this song, she talked about how if we had dreams, no matter how big or small, we should go for them. I love this song so much because it is so beautiful to think about how much things can change from when you were younger. One of my favorite lyrics from this song is “keep on going with your silly dream, life is prettier than it may seem.” Hearing this live was really impactful because you could hear the emotion in every word she sang, along with that of the crowd. As someone who wants to become an author when I get older, this song has always pushed me to keep pursuing that dream even if it seems impossible.Â
Overall, this concert was incredible. Hearing her music live was such an amazing experience that I will cherish forever. I have never been to a concert with a more respectful and kind fan base. Each song held an immense amount of weight, really showing the power of music and storytelling. I am so grateful to have been able to go to this concert and hope to see her live again!