Thursday afternoon, I got word that I would be able to make it to the Sia, Oh Land, and Ximena Sariñana show at 9:30 Club. This was welcome news, but I live in Richmond, and if you remember from my Bonnaroo posts, I no longer have a car. Thankfully, I live within walking distance of the Megabus stop—but my bus didn’t show, and I had to catch a later one. By the time I arrived to the venue, I had missed Ximena Sariñana completely, and Oh Land was halfway through her set, to a well sold-out audience.
The Danish pop-star turned Brooklynite, has been called a “more commercial Lykke Li.” They share a similar style for writing melancholy, yet hopeful, pop songs. Though, of the two, Oh Land is slightly more optimistic.
I came in at the end of “Lean,” her invitation to a lover to depend on her in his time of need, though, as the song goes on, it becomes less of an invitation and more of a beg. From there, she moved perfectly into the upbeat “Human.” From the balcony, I could see small groups dancing on the floor, the movement spreading as she transitioned into her most recent single “White Nights.” Both her soft vibrato and white-robed figure danced and jumped across the stage and led those familiar with what will hopefully be her next single and most upbeat track into a singalong for “We Turn It Up.” She followed her set by meeting with fans by the merch table before Sia took to the stage.
I’ll be honest, before Thursday night I only vaguely knew of Sia. I had reviewed one of her albums for my college radio station a few years ago. I don’t think I listened to it more than once, but needless to say, I didn’t fall in love. Thursday I did.
Sia took the stage to a quilted backdrop; everything on stage looked like it had been carefully crafted by hand, and she was not an exception. She was wearing a puffy, black, almost prairie-like dress, that she would later tell us was covered in vaginas. “They’re abstract as not to offend.” She looked like a marionette from where I stood, and maintained her stance in the middle of the stage only through moving in jack-in-a-box-like bounces.
Her gravely, alto voice began to fill the room with “The Fight.” Her presence was playful, and her fans, while diverse, were among the most loyal I’ve seen in awhile. Each fan seemed to know the words to each song, not just the recent singles, but the old ones too.
Her cover of Madonna’s “Oh Father” was a pleasant surprise, as was “Hostage,” a song off the unreleased album she is working on with Nick Valensi of The Strokes. She apologized for her “cracky” voice before breaking into “Be Good to Me,” though it only added to her charm.
Between songs, fans brought her flowers and homemade gifts, and in return she was more than happy to to make birthday wishes. Among her gifts were a pair of homemade flip-flops, “My dogs are going to bloody love these motherfuckers!” And later in response to a headband turned necklace, “You made me a dishcloth, I used it, in the shower, in bed…”
After “Cloud” she looked into the crowd. “It looked like someone fainted. Are they okay?” They were. “Oh, you guys are drunk… which is okay.” Later she addressed the same group as the “tall and drunk,” “Tall and Drunk, that’s you, you should start a Twitter.” (The handle @tallanddrunk is still available, just in case you were wondering.)
Her set moved smoothly between the fast and slow, with an abrupt rendition of “a song I wrote on tour, it’s called ‘Pee on You,’” before playing “I’m in Here.” The most memorable moment of the evening followed as she invited two women on stage; it was one’s birthday, and she was “in love for the first time.” The woman bent on one knee and asked her girlfriend to marry her. “Holy shit! That’s awesome!” Sia said, as they left the stage and the crowd roared in support.
She closed with “Never Gonna Leave Me” followed by “Death by Chocolate.” For her encore, she came back out to an impatient crowd and broke into “Clap Your Hands.” The upbeat number had the audience moving, but nothing topped what is arguably her most popular song, “Breathe Me.” It was difficult to ignore the closeness everyone seemed to feel during “Breathe Me,” as the sentiment resounded for everyone.
Oh Land Setlist:
Wolf and I
Break the Chain
Sun of a GUn
Voodoo
Lean
Human
White Nights
We Turn it Up
Sia Setlist:
The Fight
Buttons
Oh Father (Madonna cover)
Hostage (new unreleased)
Be Good To Me
Go to Sleep (Ray Davies cover)
Cloud
Big Girl Little Girl
You Have Been Loved
I’m in Here
You’ve Changed
Soon We’ll be Loved
Never Gonna Leave Me
Death by Chocolate
Encore:
Clap Your Hands
Breathe Me
