Thousands of fans packed a sold-out Comerica Theatre in downtown Phoenix Tuesday night to catch a rare performance from singer Elizabeth Grant, a.k.a. Lana Del Rey, in between her Coachella stops. With no opening act, Del Rey hit the stage around 8:30, with opener "Cola."
Sporting jean shorts, U.S. Postal Service T-shirt and belt, Grant looked a little more comfortable in Del Rey's skin and less like "a groupie posing as a real singer" during the sexy "Gods & Monsters." Her voice was on point, and she was able change from her upper and lower vocal register with ease while constantly smiling at fans. The ballad "Blue Jeans" was simply beautiful as she sang, "I will love you 'til the end of time / I would wait a million years, Promise you'll remember that your mine / Baby, can you see through the tears."
She introduced a new song, "West Coast," from her forthcoming record, which got a great reception. The eerie yet romantic tale "Born to Die" followed. There was very little production throughout the show other than a medium-size video screen behind her band. She slowed things down with the jazzy "Million Dollar Man" as her voice carried throughout the theater.
The boys and the girls all sang along to "Carmen" as Del Rey sang "Darling, darling doesn't have a problem lying to herself 'cause her liquor's top-shelf." "You and Beautiful" should have been replaced with "Off to the Races," which wasn't included in the 12-song set. Her breakout track, "Video Games," got the best reception of the night. Instead of an encore, she went straight into closer "National Anthem."
As an artist, she is truly an enigma, and pending a record that is anywhere close to the genius that was her debut record Born to Die, she could be one of the most important artists of this generation. Though Grant and her Lana Del Rey persona historically have never been on the same page in a live setting, on Tuesday night, they seemed to be on at least speaking terms.
Last Night: Lana Del Rey at Comerica Theatre
The Crowd: A mix of young girls and flamboyant dudes. Overheard: People screaming "Lana I love you" a million times all night. Personal Bias: I am Lana superfan.
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