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Lykke Li brought her angelic voice and songs on love and loss to the Theatre at ACE Hotel in downtown on Monday night. And the Swedish crooner managed to perfectly balance her melancholy songs with upbeat tracks.
The breathtaking and ornate Spanish Gothic venue built in 1927 that was once the United Artists Theatre was a perfect setting for the 28-year-old's performance. Her six accompanying musicians on stage matched with her in their nearly all-black outfits. Li wore a metallic, crocodile-skin-like coat over her dark clothes.
She took a look at the theatre and said: "This might be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I saw myself as a child and I thought, 'I've come a long way, man.'"
And it has been a long journey for the indie darling. Her latest album, I Never Learn, was recently released on May 2, three years following her lauded Wounded Rhymes.
Li kicked off her set with her new album's title track of the same name, and interspersed her latest tracks with her older songs, like "Love Out Of Lust" and newer ones like "Just Like a Dream" and "No Rest For The Wicked." Despite her songs focusing on the loneliness and anxiety of relationships and falling in love, Li was more than just melancholic on stage. She was entirely engaged with the crowd, swaying her hands and body with the songs, drumming with drum sticks and whipping her hair.
It was a roller coaster of emotions during the show, and at one point, she said, "Is there anybody here a little heartbroken?" before she rolled into "Never Gonna Love Again." But she broke up that mood with upbeat fan favorite "Little Bit" from her 2008 Youth Novels album as well as "I Follow Rivers."
Very self aware, she acknowledged the mood of her latest album. "You can all sit down," she said. "I wrote a pretty sad album." With just two men on stage playing acoustic guitars and a red-hued light shining over her, she performed "Love Me Like I'm Not Made Of Stone."
Her encore ended with a special treat, as she sang in Swedish (and took off her reptilian jacket for) “Du Är Den Ende." And her last song "Sadness is a Blessing" summed up how Li feels and makes us feel as listeners, that we can't get away from sadness as hard as we may try—and we might as well embrace it.
Here is a clip of Li performing "Get Some":
You can check out a video of "Little Bit":
Set list:
"I Never Learn"
"Love Out of Lust"
"Just Like a Dream"
"No Rest For The Wicked"
"Jerome"
"Hanging High"
"Never Gonna Love Again"
"Little Bit"
"Gunshot"
"Love Me Like I'm Not Made of Stone"
"Sleeping Alone"
"I Follow Rivers"
"Rich Kids"
"Silver Springs"
"Youth"
"Get Some"
Encore:
"Du Är Den Ende"
"Sadness is a Blessing"
