I saw Ms. Ellie
Goulding a little over a month ago across the pond at Brixton Academy in London.
A resident of London, Brixton Academy is about as close to a home gig as
Goulding will ever get. Naturally, I was curious to see how Goulding would
adapt for her sold out show at the Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland. The
Fillmore is less than half the size of Brixton Academy, but what the audience
lacked in numbers, they more than made up for in enthusiasm.
Exceptionally professional
and polished for a supporting act, St. Lucia brought their brand of electronic
rock to the Fillmore and set the tone for the evening. The audience was
attentive and gave off a high energy from the beginning of St. Lucia’s set to
the end of headliner Ellie Goulding’s. However, as loud as the audience was
singing at times, there was a huge number of attendees filming the concert on
their cameras, which makes one wonder how much they are actually enjoying the
concert when they view the majority of it through their iPhone screen.
Nevertheless,
Goulding blasted through her set starting with the haunting “Don’t Say A Word”
and continued with high-energy songs like her current single “Figure 8.” The
audience’s presence was felt especially on the joyous “Halcyon”, the title
track from her second album, when the audience took over the chorus and nearly
drowned the music out. Midway through the show, Goulding performed several
songs acoustically, including her cover of Elton John’s “Your Song.” This stripped
down section showcased Goulding’s musical talent and proved that she did not
need high production values or a full band to captivate an audience. The
highlight of the evening was the euphoric “Anything Could Happen,” the first
official single from her recent sophomore effort. The crowd couldn’t help
bouncing along with Goulding and entirely lost themselves in the song.
Goulding seemed
quite comfortable on the stage in Silver Spring, Maryland, even going as far to
describe the venue as her “perfect show,” not too big, not too small. While she
typically does not banter much between songs, Goulding appeared to feel very
much at home and shared several personal tidbits throughout the performance. She
went on several tangents such as the various colors she has died her hair over
the years, her jealously of her brother performing in a heavy metal group, but
the most touching moment was when she prefaced the powerful ballad “I Know You
Care” by telling the audience it was a song she wrote for her father and wondered
if he had ever heard it.
The only
legitimate criticism of the show is Goulding feels the need to pump in loops of
background vocals during intros/outros/choruses of the songs. It’s
understandable that Goulding wants to fill out the sound in her songs, but she
has a solid voice and the loops are more often than not unnecessary. Because it
is her voice from the studio versions of the songs used in the loops, at times
Goulding’s live vocals can get lost in the mix.
Having finished
a tour of the United Kingdom in December and, roughly halfway through her
American “Halcyon Days” tour, Goulding has gotten into a solid touring groove.
She is a true delight to see perform live and if you are ever given the
opportunity to see her, make sure you take it.
