In a glorious return to the Bay Area, Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine emerged from underneath the stage to a raucous crowd and thunderous applause, barefooted and tiptoe prancing across the stage like a fairy. Shockingly, but thankfully, the least amount of phones out on display we’ve seen at an arena show. Especially during the intro (because you just know that EVERYONE records the intro yet it never turns out that good nor is it usually the intro we watch back anyway). It was such a joy to hear her sing again, her voice was more consistent, healthy and vast than it’s sounded in a long time.
Florence was joined on stage by a group of singers/dancers called the Witch Choir, which she commanded across the stage in elaborate and elegant dances. Her feminist lyrics were felt in their actions, from joyously skipping and flinging their hair, to dramatically dragging their bodies across the floor and casting themselves at her feet.
As for the setlist, Florence did not disappoint any of her fans. She played plenty of her newest album, Everybody Scream. She made an extended version out of Witch Witch. A song she said she has not sung in ten years, Never Let Me Go, is a deep track favorite for many:
I thought that if I didn’t sing it, you would forget about it. But you never stopped loving it. But I’ve changed. I don’t see it as a reminder of what I was but what I went through to be here today. Thank you for taking care of it until I was ready to sing it again. All the music makes sense when it comes back through you, in this room.”
Drawing out Sympathy Magic, Florence got off stage and greeted everyone in the front row and gave out hugs. Stopping and singing directly to a few lucky fans that enthusiastically sang right back to her.
Florence + the Machine burst the roof off of the Chase Center with her powerful anthems. She left a mark on her fans and San Francisco that we won’t easily forget, but will leave us wanting more until she comes back and does it all again.
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