Lorde (with MUNA and Stellie)

Lorde’s highly anticipated Solar Power world tour has finally arrived in Adelaide, Australia. It’s a welcome return for her fans after a hiatus of nearly 10 years. The Adelaide Festival concert, initially billed for the Adelaide Oval Village Green, went ahead to an adoring crowd of fans at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Thursday night.

Lorde opened with “Leader of a New Regime”, performing as a backlit silhouette in a glowing orb, a nod to the sun-worshipping theme of the show.  She emerges resplendent, sun-bleached blonde in a shimmering sky-blue suit to the roar of her fans, young and old before launching into “Homemade Dynamite” and “Buzzcut Season”, further sending the crowd into a frenzy.

The Solar Power stage design is minimalistic, centred around a large projected sun-disc that changes its intensity depending on the music's mood and a steep sundial-themed staircase reaching upwards like a stairway to solar heaven. The band, dressed in golden suits, are used as sculpture-like props in the choreography, which is an interesting aesthetic of the show.  The stage surface and band costumes are reminiscent of a vast sand dune spread out beneath the large benevolent Sol, illuminating the stage and gently morphing its colour palette as the set list progresses.

Before singing her anthem to the summertime “Solar Power,” Lorde talks about how it came about after spending an entire day at the beach with no responsibilities but swimming, sunbathing, drinking beer and daydreaming. The “prettier Jesus” then invites the audience to join in for the ultimate summertime singalong, summoning Sol to allow summer to stick around a bit longer.

Lorde's fans have been devoted since her 2013 debut album, Pure Heroine, and her subsequent releases, Melodrama and Solar Power, have only deepened their devotion. Although Solar Power, released in 2021, is a departure from her previous works, it still gels well on stage, with themes of escapism and utopia tying everything together.

Lorde reminds the audience that she was only 17 when she made her debut and summons the crowd to dance “for our 17-year old selves”, to which they respond as a gyrating mass.  The deep connection Lorde has with her fans is obvious. She speaks to them as intimate friends, a one-on-one conversation with each of the thousands present. Her appreciation for the power and meaning of their relationship is palpable.

A big nod must also go to Lorde’s support acts. Triple J Unearthed featured local Adelaide singer-songwriter Stellie ably led the charge to a small but appreciative audience. Queer American Indie pop trio MUNA were slick and explosive. There were clearly a number in the audience who were as thrilled to be seeing them as they were to see Lorde. MUNA are an impressive, talented band and ably primed the audience for their friend Lorde’s performance.

Overall, the Solar Power Tour is an energetic and optimistic performance, a refreshing and cathartic experience. After nearly two hours, Lorde closes the show with a big all singing, all-dancing send-off of Team and Royals. Let’s hope that we see Lorde return to Adelaide much more regularly in the future.

Jenny Fewster

Photographer: Andrew Beveridge

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