Lights @
The Teragram Ballroom
Wonder Woman with a Guitar
Canadian electro-pop singer Lights brought two sold out “Skin&Earth” acoustic shows to Downtown LA’s Teragram Ballroom
To see Lights in concert is an unforgettable experience, but to see a Lights acoustic show is an indescribable experience. It is without a doubt that the Canadian electro-pop singer has a strong following, with fans lining up outside of The Teragram Ballroom since early hours of the morning to be able to sit front and center in what would be a noteworthy Saturday night show and one to be remembered.
Starting off the show, the opener tiLLie took stage a few minutes past nine and entertained the crowd that was anxiously and patiently waiting for the main act. tiLLie was fun and quirky, recounting the stories behind her songs — from having an ex steal one of her songs which lead her to write a song about women empowerment to singing about having extreme mood swings. tiLLie’s voice was strong and her lyrics were relatable. Being the only opener in the show, once she departed the stage, everyone took seat and prepared for Lights to take over.
With her iconic red hair and combat boots, looking like a superhero straight out of a comic book, Lights stepped on stage and took her LA crowd through a magical journey in a close to two hours set. She starting off her set with “Skydiving" in barely lit stage, with only a spotlight illuminating her and her acoustic guitar. Her strong vocals resonated throughout the venue as she transitioned to “New Fears” and “Cactus in the Valley”, with the crowd looking at her in pure admiration. Joined by her loyal band members of years, a cellist and two violinists, Lights performed most of the songs off her latest album, “Skin&Earth Acoustic”. She also took the crowd down memory lane performing songs from her first cd — The Listening. Songs included “February Air” and “Drive My Soul”, mixed with an array of other popular songs from every record in between.
Some of the most memorable moments of the night included Lights telling the audience about her latest record, which she happened to have mixed and produced herself. According to Lights it’s the first one she’s ever done, apart from the Drake covers remakes — “But that’s RIP, stored somewhere on Dropbox”. Lights scouted locations out in the real world to record every track in her acoustic record—from a cliff top, to a tunnel, and the inside of an old truck. She recounted how difficult it was to find a tunnel to record “We Were Here”, and from all the research she did, she joked and said “I’m pretty much a civil engineer now”.
She later went on telling stories, one which she worded weirdly and caught herself mid-sentence. Turning to her right she looks at Brodie (aka Portuguese Dream), her guitar player, and says him “I word things weird”…to which he answers “Reeeeally weird”, and then she answers back “I’m just up here tryna live my life”.
Fast-forward mid-way through her set, to the band and orchestra stepping off stage, leaving Lights to interact solely with the crowd. She was taking song requests and somehow she ended up telling a story about how she found out that same day that her six chickens were dead, all thanks to raccoons. Lights then gave the audience the choice to pick between two songs, one being “Muscle Memory”, in which one audience member yelled out that that’s his and his girlfriend’s song. Lights then presented “Face Up” as the next option, to which the audience went absolutely insane and it being the clear winner of the two, she said “This song is dedicated to the chickens. And you and your girlfriend… who’s song is Muscle Memory”.
Now, what makes a Lights acoustic show so memorable? First off, Lights acoustic shows are intimate. The front of the venue is seated on first come first serve basis, so you know the people that are sitting down are diehard fans that probably camped out for hours — which only adds to the intimacy and excitement of the show. Second, Lights has stepped up her banter and storytelling game. She was good before, but there seems to have been a shift during this tour, and the crowd got more one on one interaction with her. She was talking with the audience, as opposed to to them. It’s refreshing to see an artist do this as it makes the night one of a kind, and no one show will be the same. Third, Lights is so talented, and it shows through her acoustic set. Her vocals are pitch perfect, and her songs are perfectly arranged and orchestrated. And this LA show was no different and encompassed all the fore mentioned items.
Wrapping up the night, Lights came out to sing two more songs during her encore, one of the songs being “Love Me”, which is her collaboration with Felix Cartel, but she rendered an acoustic version of it. “Almost Had Me” was her second encore song and it was emotional, magical and ended with the music fading slowly as her musicians stepped off stage one by one until it was just Lights left. Lifting her acoustic guitar, putting it aside and cheering with her reusable pineapple cup before stepping off stage, leaving the awed crowd in a standing ovation.
This review is dedicated to Lights' chickens. May they RIP.
(5 / 5)
Review and photos by Post Show LA
