British pop singer Ellie Goulding brought the energy big time to her sold-out show at the Electric Factory Friday night. Straight from her unplugged Free at Noon set where she was admittedly sleepy (“My voice isn’t usually awake until 9 p.m.!”), Goulding performed and hour and a half set, covering all of her musical bases.
Wearing a tank top that read “666″ and a pair of leather leggings, Goulding kicked off the concert with “Don’t Say a Word,” the opening track from her latest release, Halycon. A sea of teenage hands thrust into the air immediately, fist pumping as if the track were their youth anthem.
The synth-heavy “Figure 8″ was equally energetic. While hardly a trained dancer, Goulding’s endearing hip swings and amateur moves were enough to make the crowd scream. Beautiful heartbreak ballad “Joy” brought us Mariah Carey-like vocal runs, and Goulding conducted the audience with her hands, encouraging us to sing along.
The confident “Anything Can Happen” boosted the young crowd’s excitement as they nearly screamed the chorus over and over. Goulding herself was dancing up and down on stage as if she were hearing it on the radio for the first time. She returned for the encore flashing “hang ten” with her hands. A gold sequined bra had been thrown on stage and she hung it happily it from her microphone.
Brooklyn-based electro-pop opener St. Lucia had a full band to accompany him, bringing energy to the crowd early on. Their viral track “We Got It Wrong” had new fans learning that the evening was going to go so right.
Setlist
Don’t Say a Word
Halcyon
Figure 8
Salt Skin
Hanging On
Joy
Explosions
Guns and Horses (Acoustic)
I Know You Care
Your Song (Elton John Cover)
My Blood
Only You
Under the Sheets
Anything Can Happen
Animal
Starry Eyed
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