Florence and the Machine, Bank of America Pavilion, 6/23/11

Florence Welch is one of today's rare artists who actually deserves all her fame. Although to be honest, she probably deserves to be even bigger than she is, but that's besides the point. I was fortunate enough to see her perform in Boston a few days ago, and even though I've seen her before, I was still completely blown away by her voice. I don't think I'll ever get over how talented this woman is.

She came out on stage, twirling in a flowy yellow gown, looking like a fairy queen from a Disney cartoon. She took her place behind a microphone stand covered in flowers, and the twinkling set lights enhanced the mystical atmosphere. The crowd hung onto her every note, chanting and clapping along as she reigned like a queen over her kingdom.

Photo by John Shearer, courtesy of the Boston Herald

According to Florence herself, Thursday night's show at the Bank of America Pavilion was the largest show the band had played to date. (What?? Isn't she playing giant venues yet?) She played the usuals off her debut album, Lungs, and treated us to several new songs and even a short rendition of the intro to Lady Gaga's "Judas." (Personally, I am so sick of Lady Gaga that I want to rip my ears off every time I hear her mentioned, but thanks to Florence, I actually enjoyed this version of the song. Seriously, I'm not kidding - she is magical).

For anyone who wants to relive the experience (or to find out what you missed out on), here's someone else's video of "You've Got The Love." Obviously the sound quality cannot totally capture the power of Florence's ridiculous vocals, but this will have to do.




For more of my undying love and devotion for Florence and the Machine, check out the post about my previous Florence and the Machine experience.

The set list (courtesy of setlist.fm):
1. My Boy Builds Coffins
2. Between Two Lungs
3. Drumming Song
4. Strangeness and Charm
5. Howl
6. I'm Not Calling You A Liar
7. Hurricane Drunk
8. What the Water Gave Me
9. Cosmic Love
10. Blinding
11. You've Got the Love
12. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)

Encore:
13. Bedroom Hymns
14. Dog Days Are Over

Finally, I'm pretty sure Florence and Adele need to go on tour together. It could be the "Invasion of British Ladies with Crazy-Awesome Voices" tour. Yes? Let's make it happen.