MTV Unplugged has been around for many years offering up-to-date artists a chance to water down their music catalog into to simpler arrangements. However the thought of Florence + the Machine not have the ‘machine’ is mind bending. How can she possibly perform a vapid version of her collection? Even if she performed a cappella, the music would still sound like a train leaving the station at full speed.
Florence arrives, stoically standing in the center of the cathedral pulpit draped in a lilac gown to the floor; her soft saffron tendrils fell with her eyes twinkling like green emeralds as the audience waits patiently for the first note to begin. A choir perched behind her with candelabras lit around the room, her other accompaniment included an acoustic guitar, drums, a harpist and a string section. MTV cut no corners for what could be an epic evening.
Florence’s thunderous vocals echoed the church walls leaving the audience gasping for breath as she stole their wind to produce her eerie sound. Florence opened with “Only if For a Night” from her second album Ceremonials followed by an a cappella intro leading into “Drumming Song” from Lungs. The evening soared midway through the concert with “Never Let Me Go”. My eyes teared as this musical goddess sang her anguish through her clenched teeth. This is my favorite Florence song and she took me into her ballad explaining she was not giving up but just giving in to an ending relationship.
Florence’s voice control is untouched in “No Light, No Light” closing the show with her break out single “Dog Days Are Over” and her Ceremonials single, “Shake it Out”. The only downfall to the evening was a cover of “Jackson” by Johnny Cash and June Carter with Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age. This sassy song just did not quite fit the serious ambiance of the evening.
I hope you will check out each track on MTV.com
No comments:
Post a Comment