Lana Del Rey at the Frank Erwin Center,
Austin, TX, February 11, 2018
Review by Stacey Lovett
Austin served as a weeklong stopover for Lana Del Rey’s Texas dates of her LA to the Moon tour promoting her latest album, Lust for Life, and judging by her performance at the Frank Erwin Center and the crowd’s reception of it, the adoration was mutual.
The lights dropped as a beach scene projected behind the stage adorned with a rocky tiered set complete with palm trees and beach chairs. The 2 female models who accompanied her vocally and visually came out on stage perching onto each chair and performed above the band as they moved into the intro of “13 Beaches.” Lana Del Rey followed in cutting through the cheers with her trademark haunting vocals and poetic tragedy. The entire setting definitely mirrored Del Rey’s iconic style, sound, and artistry and if one thing stood out from the entire show it was the extremely direct link between Lana and her fans. She brought a very intimate feel to the vast Frank Erwin Center and she aimed her performance directly at the audience, almost individualizing each fan. The connection was intense and remained a constant focus through the end of the show.
The performance wasn’t always center stage either, for “Pretty When You Cry” she laid down on the floor as an aerial image projected at the back of the stage bringing her popular cinematic feel with the unique camera angle and a deeper meaning of stargazing. The melancholic “Cherry” was led out with an excerpt from Simon & Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair” and offered up many cheers to her emotive folk vocals in featuring the source of influence for the tune. An absolute eerie silence fell about the arena mirroring the vibe of her acoustic performance of “Yayo” on the guitar she held center stage. Slowly a few cheers and professions of love trickled out in the audience among the jazzy vocals breaking the reverent silence then quickly left in the past as they erupted with “Born to Die” singing along with the sensual sadness.
Lana Del Rey shared the love with Austin praising them for their authenticity & hospitality and acknowledged her overall love of and for the city. She continued this constant dialogue through her performance of “Blue Jeans” inviting the fans to sing along with the aqueous feel. Mid-set presented a trilogy of songs with deep political overtones – passionate anthems preaching perseverance amid a culture of anxiety and social unease – before quelling that uncertainty with the dreamy undertones of her album namesake. Following a cello-accompanied medley showcasing the sullen sound of beauty through her balladry, Rey ripped into intense rebellion with her “live fast, die young, be wild, have fun” message in “Ride.” The crowd was in no way reluctant to help sing along with her breakthrough hit “Video Games” as she swung from a swing that had descended on stage a couple songs earlier, leaning back in it at the end admitting that it was still one of her favorite songs to perform. The next few song choices were left up to the fans and they erupted in preferences wanting more from the stylish songstress. After “Ultraviolence” she walked down face to face with the crowd for a notable amount of time to shake hands, sign autographs, and take selfies with fans who returned the adoration with flowers, notes, and fan art – all of which she admitted she kept and read at the end of her tour. Lana Del Rey returned to the stage, gifts in hand, and shared in singing “Summertime Sadness” with all who had just witnessed the happiness her fans bring her. A sea of cell phone light ‘stars’ shone back with love to Lana under the moon projected behind her. Applauding the crowd she thanked them for putting her on such a big stage among them. A chant of her name led into the final song of “Off to the Races” as she exited the stage thanking Austin once more for their energy and blowing a kiss goodbye.
LANA DEL REY SETLIST: 1. 13 Beaches; 2. Pretty When You Cry; 3. Cherry (w/Scarborough Fair outro); 4. Yayo; 5. Born to Die; 6. Blue Jeans; 7. White Mustang; 8. God Bless America – And All the Beautiful Women In It; 9. When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing; 10. Happy Birthday Mr. President (Marilyn Monroe song – video interlude); 11. National Anthem; 12. Lust For Life; 13. Change/Black Beauty; Young and Beautiful; 14. Ride Monologue (video interlude); 15. Ride; 16. Video Games; 17 Million Dollar Man; 18. Art Deco (a capella); 19 Ultraviolence ; 20 Burnt Notion; 21. Summertime Sadness; 22. Love; 23. Off To The Races
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