Lana Del ReyA Lana Del Rey show is all about the aesthetics. As the sold-out crowd streamed into Riverstage, it was a safe bet that every person would sport a flower crown, a flowing, full-length dress, face glitter, or a combination of all three. Super fans had been camped outside the gates for hours, they were ready for a spectacle.
The stage is set up as a glamorous paradise, swathed with palm trees and framed with two rope swings that are sure to get a work out later on. There are several false start screams before Del Rey finally makes it on stage to an ear-shattering roar.
She glides through 13 Beaches and Cherry with her sparkly back-up singers/dancers and then oddly enough decides to lie on the floor for older track Pretty When You Cry. It's unusual as only the mega fans at the front are able to see her as she reclines, the rest of us relegated to the massive screens that flank either side of the stage.
The Californian singer has had a tumultuous past when it comes to her live performances but this evening sounds album-perfect. A little too perfect, causing one to wonder how much influence her backing track has on her sound.
Del Rey serves up a train of fan favourites in Blue Jeans, National Anthem and West Coast before instructing her band to leave the stage. She picks up a white, V-shaped electric guitar and delicately plucks her way through melancholy ballad Yayo, her voice sounding the most assured it has all night.
Her fans scream at every move she makes and Del Rey laps up the love, stopping several times mid-set to descend to the front row. She shakes hands, signs hats, graciously accepts presents and takes selfies. While this is heartwarming, after a while it becomes a little alienating to the other 9000 fans in the amphitheatre.
Keeping in character, Del Rey coyly asks the audience, "Would you all judge me if I had a cigarette?" before launching into breakout tune Video Games. Foregoing the standard encore, Del Rey finishes up with a one-two punch of Summertime Sadness and Off To The Races, complete with choreography.
It's been six years since Lana Del Rey has graced Australia with her luscious presence and as the Riverstage lights come back on, the smiles on punters faces confirm that she was well worth the wait.
