Marina & the Diamonds sparkle in Chicago

September 9, 2010, at Lincoln Hall

By Kelley Hecker
Published: September 15th, 2010 | 11:00am

The fog machines went off, the crowd cheered, and out came… no one. “You know, this is really fogged up,” an older gentleman quipped after the third false alarm. Finally, dance beats blared over the speakers and four guys took their places behind instruments, curtains parted, and Marina Diamandis walked on to the stage, slowly, dramatically, almost Lady Gaga–like. Expressionless and donning an ankle-length, longsleeved black dress, beige stilettos, a heavy gold necklace, and sunglasses, she made her way to the mic and powered through “The Outsider.” The backing track was overpowering, and that combined with her stoic demeanor led one to think, “Oh god, is this how the show’s going to be?”

Thankfully, it wasn’t. At the end of the opening song, Diamandis took off her sunglasses and smiled, her nerves clearly relieved by the crowd’s loving reception. “Girls” was up next, and she had loosened up considerably, shooting grins to the audience as she struck poses, leading the audience in a “blah blah blah” hand gesture during the chorus. During “I Am Not a Robot,” she (confusingly) raised heart-shaped flashlights over her head, her pink nails glowing in the dark—and later making girls check out the merch table in hopes the glow in the dark polish was for sale. It wasn’t.

“You’re such a loving crowd tonight! You’re extra, extra amazing. It’s like all the people you wish were at your high school,” the Welsh singer said before erupting in a fit of giggles, something she did frequently throughout the show. And it was pretty contagious.

Prior to the show, a couple of fans were walking around the venue handing out paper glasses that said “Oh No!", and during the song, people pulled the glasses down, danced, and screamed along while Diamandis stuck the mic out and let them handle the chorus.

Midway through the main set, Diamandis sat behind the keyboard for a stripped-down take on “Numb” and “Obsessions,” before being rejoined by the band for “Rootless.” She ran off stage as soon as the track ended and returned in black leggings, a sports jersey, letterman's jacket, and…two stuffed hamburgers in her hands? Then, she and the band plowed through “Hollywood,” one of the most fun moments of the night. She sassily put her hands on her hips as she sang, "Oh my god / You look just like Shakira / No, no, you’re Catherine Zeta! / Actually, my name’s Marina,” and instructed the crowd to “jump!” at the chorus, making sure even those in the balcony could feel the pounding on the floor.

After “Shampain,” a barefoot Diamandis walked up to the mic and started laughing. “I just shrunk like five inches in one minute!” she said as she tried to adjust the height. The band played two more tracks off their debut LP, The Family Jewels (Chop Shop/Atlantic), before reappearing for the encore, which kicked off with what appeared to be a new song, but was actually a cover of 3OH!3’s “Starstrukk.”

Diamandis ended the evening with the Jungle Book-inspired “Mowgli’s Road,” a track that might seem a little too goofy to some, but man, is it fun. As she sang “There’s a fork in the road / I’ll do as I am told / Well, I don't know / Who I want to be,” she grabbed the hands of audience members gathered around the stage and thanked them for making the night so special. It may have started off a bit shaky, but Diamandis pulled it together quickly and left hundreds of Chicagoans eagerly awaiting her return.

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Marina & the Diamonds official site

Marina & the Diamonds MySpace page

Atlantic Records