Florence + the Machine give praise to Oakland

November 5, 2010, at the Fox Theater

By Nicole Sheikh
Published: November 9th, 2010 | 7:00am

There may have been riots in the streets of downtown Oakland following the Mehserle sentencing, but only a few blocks away at the Fox Theater a different, more peaceful crowd gathered to see a sold-out show by British pop phenomenon Florence + the Machine.

At around 10 p.m., the lights dimmed and the crowd hushed. A single spotlight illuminated a silver tom-tom drum and a microphone stand covered in lush flowers before red velveteen curtains, which were then thrown back to reveal a funky paisley-laden forest backdrop drenched in neon-blue light and, of course, Miss Florence Welch and her Machine. Welch looked like a radiant ephemeral being, tiptoeing barefoot from the back of the stage toward the lonely microphone, the folds of her flowing white Victorian dress rippling around her—a picture-perfect modern fairytale scene.

With a few beats of her drum, the music was queued and the band spilled into a fitting opening, “Drumming Song.” She sang with poise and grace, her impressive vocal range flawless, and with such natural stage presence and command of the crowd from start to finish, it’s hard to believe that she’s only 24-years-old. Welch danced around the stage belting her heart, at one point stopping to give a coyote’s howl into the audience.

As if the music wasn’t dramatic and epic in itself, the ante was upped with an incredible show of flashing, blown-out lights (hope no one in the audience was seizure-prone) while Welch sang the hits off her 2009 release Lungs (Island). Toward the end of the stunning performance, she took a moment to connect with the crowd, thanking everyone for coming and saying how lucky she felt to perform to “a wonderful audience in quite possibly the most beautiful theater we’ve ever performed in.” Quite the compliment, Oakland!

She ended the evening with the anthemic “Dog Days Are Over,” having the entire audience perform a “ritual” simultaneous leap into the air as she dove into the final chorus, and the crowd was in a complete frenzy. All in all, Florence + the Machine’s performance was above and beyond as amazing as the rumors promised. It’s good to know that at least somewhere in Oakland people went home that night in high spirits.

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Florence + the Machine official site

Florence + the Machine MySpace page

Island Records