Concert Review with PHOTOS: Sia with special guests Charli XCX, MØ & Theia
Photos by Matt Henry Mendosa
Artist: Sia with special guests Charli XCX, MØ & Theia
Date / Venue: Tuesday December 5th: Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
To say the word shocked is by far an understatement. Shocked that this many people in NZ are fans of SIA, shocked that I’m sitting on a grass bank at Mt Smart Stadium watching from afar, and shocked at the vocals of this human!
Last night award winning pop artist SIA brought her Nostalgic For The Present Tour to Auckland, New Zealand at one if the city's biggest venue. Previously been booked at Auckland’s Spark Arena, you can see why production had to move the show. As thousands and thousands of people poured in to watch what would be I. My opinion one of the most artistic shows of 2017.
Special guest stars, Theia, Charlie XCX and MO opened, and they really got the crowd going, with their catchy pop ballads and high energy toward the crowd! It was easy to see why SIA locked in these girls to share the night with her!
As for timing goes, SIA did not disappoint, on cue, vocals ready, outfit looking incredible, she cruised on stage with no effort! As a dance of dancers extended out from around her (they were pretending to be her dress) the crowed erupted with cheer, I won’t lie, that was pretty dope.
Now to get into a bit of the concert. I’m not a DIE hard fan, BUT i respect the artist and actually enjoy most of her songs. BUT, after this performance, I am classing myself as a super fan.
Everyone knows you don’t really SIA - see her, get it, (yes there’s always times for puns) much within the industry - as she is better known for her black and white wig that covers more than half her face, excessive white bow and usually a stunning dress of the sort. This time around it was the same, as she stood to literally almost off the stage and had multiple dancers perform a skit/choreographed contemporary dance to each of her tracks, with the power house songs like “Fire Meet Gasoline” “Alive” and “Elastic Heart” saw the arena sit in awe with the performances on stage, and vocal greatness with tracks like “Unstoppable” “Titanium” and “Chandelier” that literally made me forget I was watching a live performance.
The production was nothing I had seen before, with it looking and feeling something between like an extended music clip of all her greatest songs, and a very weird musical, it was very easy to be engrossed in what was happening on stage on the screens. It’s only when the camera panned ever so subtlety onto SIA that I think the crowd was reminded that we were at a live show. That’s how great the vocals were.
What I loved so much about the show, was that I sat on that grass bank all night and watched that show, it was NOT boring. Even in short seconds of intermission for transition, she had audio playing that linked all her songs up, sort of like a mini movie. It was great production and well timed.
SIA would rather showcase dancers, actors, musicians in her show than herself, and there’s something beautiful and respectful about that. Going into the show, I heard a lot of people say “oh she doesn’t really interact with he crowd, she barely speaks” and you can see why now, for her, it’s all about the music and the performance. It just makes it that much better that she doubles up as a fantastic vocalist!
As her performers took the stage to take their final bow, SIA ended on a high with NZ’s number one track “The Greatest” as she thanked the crowd before exiting. So damn chill. And again, I cannot fathom the voice that emerged from that woman last night, definitely hands down one of the best shows this year!