Coming off the success of her latest album Little Machines, the Canadian Electronic sorceress known as Lights has been on the road in North America, stopping at a variety of cities in October and November. Now inside the music carousel for almost a decade, Lights has grown from a promising young talent to a powerhouse Electropop creator defying boundaries. Friendly to the NY/NJ area, Lights made her third appearance in the Tri-State in less than a month with a very special show on Halloween Friday October 31st at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. Feeling the Halloween spirit, Lights herself updated her twitter earlier in the day announcing a costume contest would take place during her set with the winner awarded a prize. Already excited for the evening, a large crowd of fans gathered early at the venue dressed in costumes to mark the occasion, wondering what the night would have in store.
Gathering inside, a massive crowd emerged quickly, creating a fun-loving atmosphere filled with costumes and laughter . As the house lights dimmed and an immense blue light cast over the stage, one by one the band members took their respective stations, then out of the fog came Lights dressed in full cosplay of “Lightning” from Sci-Fi video game series Final Fantasy. Immediately provoking excitement with her flair for theatricals, Lights sat at her keyboard beginning the upbeat song “Muscle Memory.” Immediately following with 2011 hit “Toes,” she jumped about the stage while still balancing her voice and keeping the melody on the keys. Lights displayed her ear to ear smile, confiding in the audience about her rough day, but was immediately picked up by cheers of support, assuring the evening will be a therapeutic release for all. Continuing to converse with the room, she asked how everyone liked her costume choice, which received a roaring applause before leading back into the music with “How We Do It.” Producing warm inflections of Synthpop textures with a Rock backbone, everyone was dancing and singing along having a fantastic time.
As Lights continued to sing her catchy tunes in affectionate tones, more favorites followed with “My Boots,” “Siberia,” and newest single “Running With the Boys.” Connecting with the audience on a deeper level, the inviting personality of Lights was overwhelming and it was impossible not to be charmed by her. Coming across sincere and dedicated to her artistic expression, the set went on to include magnificent renditions of “Drive My Soul,” “Saviour,” and “Timing is Everything,” among others. Wrapping up the performance and picking the best costume to be awarded a prize, the final song would seem to be the enchanting “Same Sea.” Hollering for more, the audience encouraged an encore immediately which Lights was appreciative of the overwhelming swell of love followed up with hit “Up We Go” and “Oil and Water.”
Entertaining until the last note, Lights touched the hearts of each soul that came out on Halloween to see her performance. She proved to be a rare musician one can see live on a multitude of occasions and still be absolutely blown away. While this night filled with thrills and chills was unique to Halloween, the tour has a few more dates left, so do not miss a chance to catch her live.
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