Lana's concert at Comerica Theatre trashed by angry reviewer

[Maxwell 7]

I stumbled upon a review at ticketmaster.com that shocked me with its vehemence. I'm generally very reactive against Lana rants but this angry fellow just saw a concert and he's totally disillusioned by her performance. I never saw Lana in concert, just recorded on youtube. I have mixed feelings about her on stage so I cannot dismiss this review without second thoughts and maybe that’s why really bothered me . I know that there will be always extremes, people who idolize her and people who hate her no matter what she does, but this guy called himself an "ExLanaDelReyFan" and he showcases his experience with concerts in different genres. This review highlights all the negative issues raised about her concerts and her performer abilities. Is this review greatly exaggerated or there is some reality in what the fellow sad that her concerts are amateurish and she has no stage presence? I'm really baffled by his comment that she uses a "highly auto tuned & produced backup track" in her concerts because I always had the impression, at least from the last year European concerts, that she's 100% live and raw. She's on a major tour in North America which I think that can make or break her reputation as much as the quality of her next album UV. I'm really interested in your opinions, especially from the members that saw her live.

 

Here comes the review:

Comerica Theatre 

 - Phoenix

, AZ

 - Tue, Apr 15, 2014

Posted 04/18/2014

by ExLanaDelReyFan

I see A LOT of concerts all over the country, venues from dive clubs to Hollywood Bowl, arenas & Red Rocks. Country, rap, Indie, alternative, symphony, ballet, musical, etc. I spend thousands each year on concerts.

This show had a nice venue and good location.

Lana Del Rey was terrible. Worst concert I've seen from an accomplished recording artist. the spastic punk rocket-chic singer Kitten brings more talent, self awareness and show quality than LDR.

Show started 1:20 late, no opening act, no encore, tickets indicated that there would be, Lana was dressed like she was doing a sound check, no star quality, no stage presence, her highly auto tuned & produced backup track playing underneath her voice overpowered her weak efforts and flat vocals. She walked stage like a show pony in a race paddock being paraded before would be gamblers. Stage lighting and visuals were fair but certainly not on par with a recognizable artist. A run to BestBuy could have yielded better stage effects. Random & haphazard video montage sequences that looked like they were ripped off straight from Kings of Leon's performance. Will never see this manufactured performer again unless she's an opening act for two more artists with real talent, even then I will make sure to arrive late. Lana Del Rey is a hack that has a lot of maturing to do as a entertainer

Favorite moment: None, terrible show

Setlist: Weak, anticlimactic. Key songs were flat.

Opening act(s): none, and she was over an hour late.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I put a poll regarding the subject

[silver starlet 1,376]

he was obviously never a fan in the first place imo...

[rdp 1,241]

Obviously not a fan lol

 

These "she's a female who sings (alternative) pop music therefore she's manufactured and terrible live" comments will always exist no matter what she does.

[_Ailsa_ 0]

I saw Lana on the Paradise tour last May and  I could not disagree more - I've been to a lot of concerts like Florence and the Machine, Marina and the Diamonds for example and Lana was by far the best! Everything about it was amazing the energy, vocals, set etc and out of everyone I've ever seen it felt like Lana actually wanted to be there and was enjoying herself. 

[Maxwell 7]

Thank you for your opinions. It's obvious that he never was a hardocre fan but he sounds as a more mature casual fan, a group that spends a lot of money on music.I don't think that Lana's music it's appealing just for teenage girls, she has a wider appeal but the expectations from an artist are higher from a more mature listener and concert goer.

[JhnMabius 175]

Thank you for your opinions. It's obvious that he never was a hardocre fan but he sounds as a more mature casual fan, a group that spends a lot of money on music.I don't think that Lana's music it's appealing just for teenage girls, she has a wider appeal but the expectations from an artist are higher from a more mature listener and concert goer.

Fans coudn't care less about this stuff. But yes, her voice is very flat and weak. In one song she sounds great and suddenly in the other it's terrible.

[TrailerParkDarling 5,699]

I think some of his critiques are fair but he's obviously biased and probably had an unfavorable opinion of Lana to begin with. And I mean you can't find at least one positive thing to say? Stupid.

 

 

For reference this is the outfit he's referring to

 

 

I must admit, I'm not impressed myself.. she looks like every other girl at the mall..but you don't come to a show to see what the artist is wearing.

[prettydrugs 456]

i dont even understand why you brought this up, he's opinion is shit and nobody cares

[Sir Taurean 43]

Such a shame he didn't enjoy a great show.

[ilovetati 15,299]

Lol, she doesn't even use autotune. 

[Poison Ivy 1,588]

I think some of his critiques are fair but he's obviously biased and probably had an unfavorable opinion of Lana to begin with. And I mean you can't find at least one positive thing to say? Stupid.

 

 

For reference this is the outfit he's referring to

 

 

I must admit, I'm not impressed myself.. she looks like every other girl at the mall..but you don't come to a show to see what the artist is wearing.

 

where do u live I need to move there 

 

 

this guy obvs doesn't like her, but I guess it's interesting to see an outside perspective. maybe Lana doesn't put on a show but I don't think that's what she's about. Anyway, personally the only thing I dislike about her shows is how dreadful the crowd is.

[SweetLikeCinnamon 344]

Thank you for your opinions. It's obvious that he never was a hardocre fan but he sounds as a more mature older casual fan, a group that spends a lot of money on music.I don't think that Lana's music it's appealing just for teenage girls, she has a wider appeal but the expectations from an artist are higher from a more mature listener and concert goer.

[Blue Jeans 34]

I was at the concert. I mean maybe because I was front row it was an incredible show but she fucking slayed her vocals. My only complaint was that it was short. I stood in that pit for 2 hours before she went on. It really wasn't that bad.

[LittleFool 1,912]

I have always had the impression that Lana does her shows the way she does because that's just the way she wants to. I remember her from the very beginning saying she was a writer, not a performer. There's nothing wrong with that. The way she does her shows is enjoyable because you're there to enjoy the music and the atmosphere she provides. What I take from all of this is that we should never expect a large-scale production. I think to go to her shows and expect something Gaga- or Katy Perry-like is going to set up your own disappointment.

 

It's like people are bitter about all of the positive reviews she's had lately, so they recycle the same exact negative things that were said over 2 years ago.

 

I went to her House of Blues show last August and I can honestly say that I was expecting awkward, microphone-wrestling Lana (which I found and still find adorable to be honest). What I got was confident, excited Lana. I took my best friend with me (who is not a Lana fan; I took her because she enjoys music and concerts in general) and she left the show very happy because of Lana's confidence and the show's simplicity. She's doing so well and people just can't stand it. 

[naachoboy 7,993]

delete this mess, thanks. 

[NamiraWilhelm 5,050]

Was she really that late?

[tiffanydale 193]

nvm

Edited April 22, 2014 by tiffanydale

[Lana Del Rey 752]

Does he not have any feelings? When I went to a Lana concert last May, I was depressed after the show for a while. I just couldn't believe how good it was, how good it made me feel.

What made it the best is that you could genuinely see her love for her fans and although I didn't get to meet her, I was almost crying because she is so kind-hearted as she was taking photos with fans and signing their stuff. She's just such a genuine person. 

To be fair, all what makes the concert slightly rubbish is when the crowd overpowers her voice. I couldn't hear her sing video games at all because of all the rays who only knew that song.

I think when she goes down off the stage to take photos with fans/sign things, the crowd goes wild. That's also what I disliked. It felt like I was in a whirlpool. I had no control where I was going, when Lana went to the left, I was pushed to the left, when she went to the right, I was pushed to the right.

The only problems at the concert were the people attending the concert, not Lana herself. (I got elbowed in the face by a male with drawn-on teardrops, because he thought I slapped his head)

When you're in the concert, timing doesn't matter, I just lose track of time and I am excited that I am there.

I would definitely see Lana again if she came back to Manchester, and if I had the money.

[GodBlessMe 2,141]

.

[Maxwell 7]

Thank you again for your feedback.

My take on it is that the reviewer was really angry because he had to wait 1.2 h for the concert to start and he was excessively nasty about it.

Anyway, I think that:
You cannot be that late to your concerts, people who are working for their money aren't that forgiving
You cannot “run” from the stage at the final moments taking in account how short your set is
You have to take care of all the participants and not just those from the front rows
You cannot smoke on stage these days, it’s not cool, and you have to be responsible for the impressionable young girls that are screaming in the front rows and idolize you

I don’t think that her more austere stage is her fault. It seems that she doesn't have yet the status and the economic backing to do a more elaborate and in the same time economically viable show. Interscope, after the SNL episode, didn't invested too much in her, they just sat back and waited to see what is happening with her. (Tropico, for example, was made from her on money, I suppose, and I respect her for that, even if Mandler screwed up the whole thing ).

About her singing and stage presence. She has a great voice, period. I love her primarily because of her voice and songs. But in concerts she seems to lose concentration (I think that this is linked to the whole smoking thing during the concerts, she sad that she cannot think without smoking). I think that a good psychologist can help her focus in the entire concert (in sports, particularly in tennis, this is old practice now). Secondly, she needs to be more prepared to sustain a concert in front of thousands of fans (many of whom are casual fans that aren't necessarily mesmerized by her beauty). Her open mic experience it’s just not good enough for that in my view. She’s not a natural interpreter, she recognized that after SNL, but this is no witchcraft, it can be learned, at least at a certain level. She can hire a talented choreographer who helps her out in interpreting her songs (a concert is more than just singing fine) and organize her overall stage presence (many artists do that and this can be done accordingly with her specific mood and sound). For example, if she would stayed in one place at the SNL show, like she did at the Letterman show afterwards the so called SNL fiasco would never happened.

What disappointed me slightly was that she didn't change anything from her last year’s European tour regarding her show. If she’s aspiring at a higher level in this business she has to do it at some point and I think she is entirely capable of doing it.

Being fair with her she's more confident on stage lately and she received mostly favorable reviews about her recent shows especially at Coachella