Photo by Adam Miszewski
On Saturday, Florence + the Machine sold out the Eagle’s Ballroom at the Rave, a somewhat rare occurrence – its last sold-out show was in February. When you peel away the shrieking fans and poor acoustics in the cavernous Eagle’s Ballroom and focus on the music, the reason behind Florence + the Machine’s success emerges.
And what’s behind that success? Simple. The voice of Florence Welch. At times powerful, at times ethereal and at times downright callous, Florence’s voice has the ability to adapt to each and every song in the band’s arsenal. That versatility transferred to the live stage.
What also emerged was Florence’s ability to connect with her audience, asking the boys to raise the girls up on their shoulders during “Rabbit Heart” and commenting on the allegedly haunted pool at the Rave. The crowd was loud, at times drowning out Florence herself, so connecting on any level was no small feat.
The show opened with “Only If For a Night,” and Florence materialized in a black choir gown with filigreed details at the neck, her entire figure enveloped in the outfit. Toward the end of the song, Florence led the audience in a successful sing-along to accompany the back-up singers – impressive considering the sheer volume of people at the show.
At the end of the second song, “What the Water Gave me,” Florence began to twirl – a move reminiscent of Stevie Nicks, but done with more grace. Her red mane was pinned at the nape of her neck, and she spotted like a trained ballerina as she spun.
At almost 6 foot, Florence is not a delicate woman, but her voice and stature on stage rarely faltered. During “Rabbit Heart,” her elegant twirling changed into something more carnal, a spasm-like convulsion to the drum hits. Even so, Florence never seemed to lose her polish.
The main set closed out after just over an hour with the strong pairing of “Shake it Out” and “Dog Days.” The band returned for an encore of “Never Let Me Go” and “No Light, No Light.” The end and the encore were high-energy, but really, how else could she have ended that show?
Florence + the Machine delivered a satisfying – albeit predictable – performance. She hit all the expected notes and played all the probable songs – with a few variations for good measure. The best parts of the show were when Florence’s voice cut through the fans’ like during the interlude of “Rabbit Heart,” the intro to “You’ve Got the Love” and the end of “Leave My Body” when she let out a shriek of her own. In the end it comes down to exactly what it should: her voice.
