Last night, I excitedly headed down to Webster Hall to catch the first of Marina and the Diamonds‘ two sold out NYC shows which will close out her successful Lonely Hearts Tour. I last saw her perform back on The Family Jewels Tour back in 2010, and since then much has happened in the world of Marina. She has released the extraordinarily brilliant Electra Heart album, played lots of headliner gigs and supported acts as huge as Coldplay, all the while securing a growing fanbase of Diamonds!
Earlier this week we had the pleasure of interviewing Marina and chatting to her about her favorite artists, so when much to my delight I heard songs including Madonna’s Hollywood and Garbage‘s Stupid Girl as I waited in the photo pit for her to take the stage, I knew she’d had a hand in the marvelous selections. Shortly after nine she appeared on stage to the opening notes of Homewrecker and the screams of the eclectic crowd gathered below (teenage girls dressed in Electra Heart garb, screaming gays, and rather randomly a bunch of older gentlemen who appeared to be alone) covered in a wedding veil and with a white fur draped around her shoulders, which instantly reminded me of Madonna on The Virgin Tour – never a bad thing!
She then tore through Oh No! and Mowgli’s Road, two of my favorites from The Family Jewels, passionately singing and bounding around the stage electrifying the crowd. One guy behind me screamed ”Oh wow, she is serving right now!” and as I snapped away trying to resist the urge to dance and focus on shooting, I thought to myself “I couldn’t agree more.” She slowed things down for Lies, which she revealed to us in our interview is the most personal on the album, showcasing her operatic voice and delivering a pitch perfect rendition that stopped me in my tracks – the power and emotion in her voice was just incredible.
“Are you ready for the first costume change of the evening?” she asked jokingly as she removed a sheer pink dressing gown from the assorted rack of props assembled at the back of the stage and slipped it on over her outfit. Then came The State Of Dreaming and a show stopping performance of Power & Control, my favorite from Electra Heart. During Bubblegum Bitch as I watched her don her ‘Miss Selfish Beach’ sash and switch between ‘Miss Sugar Pink’ and ‘the bitch’ personas reflecting the song’s punchy lyrics, it struck me that in concert she really puts everything into embodying each character she has established for Electra Heart.
One particularly cute moment was when Marina’s toy dog Marilyn found herself in the spotlight as she was introduced to the crowd before Primadonna. Marina clearly has a brilliant sense of humor as she told the crowd she found Marilyn smoking a crack pipe in a back alley, asked her to be in the Primadonna video, and now she was living it up in the spotlight after a stint in the Betty Ford clinic!
When not twirling happily around the stage Marina also made sure to demonstrate her instrumental talent during the evening, first taking to the keyboard for a sparkling rendition of Obsessions and later Teen Idle which served as one of the encore tracks. The concert was a perfect mix of ballads and dance tracks from Marina’s two albums and the audience was treated to all the sides of her that make her one of the most talented pop stars to emerge in recent years. If there is any justice in the world, this will be the album with which she breaks America.
SETLIST
Homewrecker
Oh No!
Mowgli’s Road
Lies
I Am Not A Robot
Starring Role
The State of Dreaming
Power & Control
Bubblegum Bitch
Obsessions
Hypocrates
Primadonna
Shampain
Radioactive
ENCORE
Teen Idle
Fear and Loathing
How To Be A Heartbreaker
