Finally. Make that FINALLY.
New Zealand pop sensation Lorde, who made a big splash in 2013 with the Grammy-winning "Royals," finally made her overdue Twin Cities debut on Friday at Xcel Energy Center.
On her 2013-14 tour, Lorde performed 64 concerts in North America. She returned to New York and Los Angeles four times each. But she never made it to the Twin Cities once. Not once.
Oh, she knows all about us, as she explained Friday. The 21-year-old gushed about being in Prince's state and how grateful she was to exist in his lifetime. She's revered him forever, calling him the "very best there is."
She even told a story about sitting next to him once at the Golden Globe Awards and, while no one talked to him, he did say hello to her on his way to the stage to present an award.
After relating this anecdote of her encounter with His Royal Badness, Lorde, accompanied by a pianist hidden in the darkness at the back of the stage, began singing Prince's "I Would Die 4 U." It was just a few lines, but it was so heartfelt, so real, so different from the rest of Lorde's performance.
Her 100-minute show was more artful than arena-friendly, so electro-pop smooth complete with recorded backup vocals. Backed by three unseen musicians, Lorde relied on six dancers and their interpretive artistry to provide the show. Yes, she participated but it was more exaggerated movements in her exaggerated extra-baggie pants (or full skirt) than dancing. She even was held aloft a couple of times by the dancers while she was singing.
But the dancers worked mostly physically independent of her, though their moves clearly complemented the music. The key visual element on this largely barren stage was a huge translucent box. It became a venue for the dancers. Sometimes three danced inside while three danced outside mirroring their movements. Lorde even entered the box to change clothes right in front of the 9,000 fans.
