BERKELEY — About halfway through her sold-out show at the Greek on the UC Berkeley campus, Lorde sat center stage, looking out at the audience cascading down upon her and reminisced.
“I have a very vivid memory of playing here for the first time back in 2013,” Ella Yelich-O’Connor said. “We were standing backstage looking out, and we were so nervous.”
That previous show went so well, and she received such a warm welcome, that the picturesque East Bay venue stuck with her.
“When we were booking this tour, I had literally one request,” she continued. “I said, ‘We must play the Greek.’ This is a passion situation for me.”
Lorde used the experience as a reflection of her 13 years making music. Her nearly two-hour show, part of her Ultrasound Tour, supporting new album Virgin, was the season closer at the Greek.
“Thank you for putting up with all the versions of me,” Lorde said. “I’ve felt nothing but love from the Bay Area.”
The stage show was filled with unique production and risk-taking. The lighting, set design and choreography felt different. With smoke, lasers and industrial-sized fans, the first act of the show had a lot of moving parts. Each song had a distinct motif and production elements that set it apart.
Standing at the end of a catwalk in front of a pair of projected lasers, Lorde took the stage and opened with “Hammer.” She slowly built the tension until the track exploded into the chorus as she jumped, danced and banged her head. She crisscrossed between the flashing stage lights on the otherwise darkened stage.
“It’s been a minute; we have some stuff to catch up on,” she said.
The crowd responded in a big way to “Royals,” her breakout track, which she got out of the way early. She powered through “Buzzcut Season” and “Perfect Places.” The tightly packed pit pulsed up and down to the rhythm.
A pair of backing dancers performed interpretive movements. “Berkeley, I see you can sing; now show me you can dance,” Lorde said.
The upbeat “Supercut” got a big response, especially when Lorde took to a treadmill at the back of the stage. Even that had an artistic flare, as each big step landed in time with the beat. Singing while running would be an impressive flex for anyone.
“In this pop world, if I’m lucky, a song stops being mine and starts to belong to you,” she said leading into “The Louvre.” Midway through the song, fireworks began explode in neighborhood nearby. They were oddly fitting with the color scheme onstage and felt like part of the show.
The pace slowed in the third act, first for “Oceanic Feeling,” which she said she wrote for 2021’s Solar Power as a tribute to her home country of New Zealand. Along with the clear sky and the cool crisp air, Lorde’s impressive smokey vocals cut prominently through the mix.
“It’s a nice Sunday night vibe; you are all so astonishingly beautiful,” she said.
Lorde, her band and dancers all lied across the stage for “Big Star,” dedicated to her dog Pearl, before moving into “Liability.” The stage was shrouded in blue laser lights for the mostly a cappella rendition of “Clearblue.” The final act was stacked with more crowdpleasers like “Team,” “Green Light” and closer “Ribs.”
The opener, English artist Amber Bain, better known as The Japanese House, mixed folky acoustic sounds with melodic pop.
She kept up a very conversational approach with the audience. Performing songs like “You Seemed So Happy” and “Sad to Breathe,” she showed impressive versatility in her delivery and the material. “Follow My Girl” featured in a slick saxophone solo.
“Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m sensing a lot of queer energy in the room tonight,” Bain said, introducing “Boyhood,” dedicated to the pursuit of trans rights.
Empress Of delivered a tight 30-minute set of groove-heavy synth-pop. Vocalist Lorely Rodriguez, celebrating a birthday, also got a little surprise of her own when Lorde walked onstage midset to sing to her and present a bouquet of flowers.
“Not me sobbing,” Rodriguez said. “We love a Libra.”
Opening with “Note to Self,” Empress Of mixed tracks like “Dance for You” and “Bit of Rain.”
Follow writer Mike DeWald at mikedewald.bsky.social. Follow photographer Matt Pang at Instagram.com/mattgods.
About The Author
Mike DeWald is a Northern California journalist and reporter. Mike has been a Reporter with the Bay Area’s KCBS Radio since 2022, and on staff since 2020. Previously, Mike produced KSRO’s “The Drive with Steve Jaxon” drive-time radio show since 2008, covering news, music, pop culture, politics and more. Mike has contributed to a number of digital music podcasts and publications including the Rock’N Vino Podcast and The Download Parlor. He is an avid live music fan and photographer.
Matt Pang continues to surround himself in photography after his love of music introduced him to it. His fondest memories include watching replays of VH1 music video countdowns. He lives in San Jose and enjoys watching the Giants in his free time.
