Concert Review: Florence + the Machine's Cosmic Love Tour, Terminal 5

Florence + the Machine has been making giant waves in the music world in the past year, slowly getting the giant recognition that is more than rightly deserved. The band (Florence Welch as the fiery redhead chanteuse, with the Machine as her backing band) released their debut album Lungs stateside in the summer of 2009; the album's singular sound and etherial faerie goddess have been gaining momentum ever since. Recently, Florence + the Machine performed "Dog Days Are Over" at the VMAs (arguably the best performance of the evening), while the single's video was nominated for Video of the Year.

I was blown away by Florence's previous appearance in New York in last April, so I just had to see her again when I found out she was playing two nights (November 1st and 2nd) at New York's Terminal 5. Florence returned with equal abandon, turning her gorgeous music into a rollicking live show. One of the greatest attributes of Florence's show is the translation of tunes, giving her studio arrangements more room to breathe when performed on stage, letting her untouchable voice command the melody. One of the best examples of this is "Drumming Song", which explodes on stage with equal parts energetic abandon and soft romanticism. It's just one of the bright instances where Florence turns her perfectly balanced slice of indie-folk-forest-Renaissance-magic album (a single label would do her flawless work a disservice) into something resembling a rock show.

One noticeable different found in last night's performance was Florence's confident and overwhelming stage presence. While Florence had a few quick moments of obvious nerves during her show last April, Florence has truly transformed into a mystical queen; she floated across the stage with uninhibited grace, bellowed with deep passion, and flirted with sensuous dance moves. When speaking to the audience, Florence was sweet and soft-spoken; when belting out her songs, she morphed into a different woman.

Florence's voice is unbelievable, and it is almost impossible to comprehend when heard live. Florence reaches her highest notes with ease, gorgeously whistling airy tones. However, just as quickly, her voice shifts into a hard, emotional belt, imbuing her notes with power and majesty. Florence perfectly executed this play between the two registers of her voice on the brand new song "Strangeness and Charm", a gorgeous and epically structured track that shows promising signs for the upcoming second album. Further, "I'm Not Calling You A Liar" showcased the soaring quality of Florence's voice, while "Kiss With A Fist," which become an energetic call-and-response with the audience, showed her brute force. Beautiful doesn't even begin.

When Florence finally played her biggest hit, "Dog Days Are Over", the crowd absolutely exploded. Florence's giant smile was infections, as were her demands to have the entire space jump and clap to the final chorus. Surrounded by her band, including her own free-standing drum and a giant harp, wearing a detailed leotard with flowing cape, Florence was on top of the world. If you ever have the opportunity to see this woman live, do not miss the chance. She is above and beyond the best vocalist I have ever heard in concert. Lungs is one of the deepest and most instantaneously engaging albums recently released, and Florence + the Machine's live show intensifies that feeling. This woman and her band will bring tears to your eyes, a pounding in your heart, and an indescribable joy to your heart.

Cosmic Love Tour Set List, 11/2/10
Cosmic Love; My Boy Builds Coffins; Hurricane Drunk; Drumming Song; Blinding; I'm Not Calling You A Liar; Between Two Lungs; Howl; Strangeness and Charm; Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up); [encore] Heavy In Your Arms, Kiss With A Fist, Dog Days Are Over