Review: Florence + The Machine at Mohegan Sun

With all the hype I've placed into seeing the illustrious Florence Welsh in the past two years, one would expect me to be a bottle rocket of excitement before she graced the stage. Still, I was exceptionally nervous. What if she was not all I was hyping her up to be? What if she couldn't pull of her mix of pop vocals and rock band appeal? Or what if her voice just couldn't open up in an arena? This performance would either strengthen or destroy the powerful emotional bond I have created with Florence over the past two years.

Before I cut into my review, I surmise my responses to these questions with my reactions while in the arena. My jaw was frequently dropped. I cried on two separate occasions. I was angrily hushing the drunk club-ready girls behind me, but also throwing my hands in the air and screaming when appropriate. I have never felt my spine shudder more in a single performance than Florence + The Machine. She is, without question, the future of Rock. 

The opener Blood Orange was a strange choice. A talented R&B artist borrowing heavily from 80s post-pop, he sounded like he belonged on the soundtrack for a John Hughes film. He infused noisy guitar solos with his soulful vocals; it was technically impressive, but not suitable for the aesthetic of the evening. With the announcement of the second leg of the "Ceremonials" tour taking along The Maccabees and The Weeknd, it was difficult not to be a bit disappointed that we had Blood Orange as our opener. 

The stage was appropriately catered to the release of Ceremonials, with stained glass windows and a large 70s-inspired altar piece fit for a queen. Florence's silhouette appeared behind the altar to deafening screams as she cut into "Only For A Night", a lackluster way to introduce a truly epic evening. Still, there was no other appropriate placement for the song in the setlist. She followed with a rousing version of "What the Water Gave Me", which did justice to what I had imagined Florence would be like live.

She is an ethereal force who transcends her body. At times, she was spiritual and engrossing, with careful movements to coordinate with her truly ground-breaking voice. Other times she floated delicately and intricately across the stage, emitting the aura of a pixie. I was surprised when I would be laughing hysterically at her jokes, or when she assumed the "rocker Florence" attitude- she is a surreal and able performer. 

Reworked songs proved to be even better than album versions. An acoustic "Heartlines" was particularly moving, as well as a riffed "Lover to Lover" and "Leave My Body", emphasizing build up with a steadier drum beat. She actually riffed many of the songs, characterizing the theatricality of the band that sets them apart from the rest. 

Surprisingly, fan favorites "Cosmic Love" and "Shake It Out"were low points of the set. Florence would assume the harmony a bit too often later in the setlist, seemingly exhausted from the tour-de-force efforts of the first half of the show. She was a bit too ambitious in her relentlessness, flowing from song to song with very little breaks. As her popularity grows, she would benefit from costume changes as a momentary break from the strain of her songs. 

Still, this is a small kink that will be worked out as Florence continues to grow on a surely monumentally big career. Pay attention, folks; we have a real rock star in the making with Florence. 

Grade: A- 


Setlist:
Only for a Night
What the Water Gave Me
Cosmic Love
All This and Heaven Too
Lover to Lover
Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)
Spectrum
Heartlines
Leave My Body
Shake it Out
Dog Days are Over
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Never Let Me Go
No Light, No Light