Review and Photos by Mauricio O. Rocha
It was the end of February in New York City, and the winter was drawing its icy breath down many a spine. The fans who braved the cold winter chill were rewarded by being warmed by global pop-superstar Marina’s presence. She did not disappoint any of her fans who made it out for her second of two sold-out shows at Terminal 5.
Clad in a leopard print catsuit with a little leather biker jacket she removed after the opening number of “Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land", the title track off her most recent album she is currently touring—Marina commanded the stage and did so for the entire evening. For once she had our attention she did not relinquish control.
Marina Diamandis showcased her wide range of talent from hitting her operatic vocals in “Froot” with ease and fitting in flawlessly with a four-piece band, especially when performing rock n’ roll tinged anthems like “Bubblegum Bitch” and “Purge the Poison.” Due to Marina’s deeply personal lyrics that sometimes feel like her exposing her private journal to the world, some of her songs can get political. But it’s a welcomed perspective that should be considered like the feminist ballad, “Man’s World." In this song Marina declares she "doesn't want to live in a man's world anymore."She wants women to be respected in the workforce and government. This is just one example of the many self-empowering lyrics she has on her latest record. But Marina has been pushing this agenda throughout her entire career: individuality and equality for all.
Marina was able to make the auditorium filled with 3,000 people feel united as it felt like an intimate stage for someone of her caliber. She had no costume changes, just her one flawless outfit for the night, her hair in two high ponytails, with a swipe of red lipstick. She became vulnerable, exposing her internal struggles in songs like “Happy”, which she performed at the piano and the audience began to sway their arms, holding lit-up cell phone screens. Some people in the crowd broke out their lighters and some even shed a few tears.
On the other side of that coin, Marina was able to absolutely bring the house down and get people clapping along with hits like “How to be a Heartbreaker.” Where people were jumping up and down and singing every lyric along with her. Marina even turned the mic over to audience at times to fill in her lines.
From the die-hard fans at the barricade to the people at the lounge-like second level of Terminal 5 where the concert acts as a backdrop for socializing, everyone was able to enjoy the show. Marina played 20 songs and performed a nice little handful from every one of her albums. There was something for everyone. She even came back onstage for an encore of 2 Songs: “Good Byes” and “Primadonna” , which she does not normally perform on this tour and broke it out just for NYC so that was lucky. During that number, everyone danced and sang all the lyrics especially “At least I think I do!” which they shouted at Marina as they jumped up and down. For one moment I even thought: are they going to mosh for Marina? But a full-on pit never did quite break out; it was simply on the verge of happening the whole night.
SETLIST |
1. Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land 3. Froot 4. Man's World 7. Oh No! 10. Hollywood 11. Happy 12. Forget 14. Teen Idle 16. I Love You but I Love Me More 18. Bubblegum Bitch Encore 19. Goodbye 20. Primadonna |
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