And so it begins… Yesterday at Ancona, LP started her 2018 European Summer Tour. Concert began with LP’s pre-recorded voice and message of some kind. I assume, in other venues some visuals will accompany it as well. From the live feed, it was hard to understand everything what LP says in her message but you can re-watch it by clicking here. Thank you LP Gang!
photo Carlo @cmarang, via Instagram
LP’s band has changed one member, we have a new keyboard musician, Max Mitchell. But others thankfully remained! Brian, Elias & Alex Feder on electric/acoustic guitar. As for the setlist, there was a slight change from LP’s American tour. “Up Against Me” is the opening song, followed by “Other People”, slightly rearranged “Muddy Waters”, “Tightrope” and “Into The Wild”.
Then there was a little banter from LP with the crowd and back to the setlist, “Death Valley”, “Girls Go Wild”, and a debut of a brand new song, sang for the very first time live. This song is titled “Dreamer” and Bekki (of We are LP UK) and myself tried to decode its lyrics. I am attaching those along with the video, enjoy!
LP continued with romantic mood with her song “Recovery”, which your should recognize by now, from her US tour. Then a switch to more upbeat and energetic song, “When We’re High”, and back to “Suspicion”. Before “No Witness” there was a surprise as LP jumped from the stage, then quick run along the barriers to meet her fans, and in no time she was back on stage.
This was followed by “Strange”, during which LP again went to her fans, but this time she hang-out at the barriers for a bit longer. Afterwards, one of my favourites: “Levitator”. I was also happy to see that “Free To Love” is still included in the setlist, but I will deffinitely miss the one song that always tears me up, “You Want It All”. And finally the big finish with “Lost On You”.
This was the end of the concert. LP did come to few lucky fans, who waited for her as long as it took, and then the band probably spent their night at the venue – though I’m not sure. Many of my friends who were in Ancona agreed that it was an incredible start of the tour. The concert that had to be cancelled, has been moved to 31st July at the same venue. If you cannot attend from obvious reasons, you will be reimbursed for the cost of ticket.
And now I give my voice to my two Italian friends, starting with @moongris8: “LP, Spilla Festival – Corte della Mole Vanvitelliana – Ancona, Italy. There are few events that I look forward to, with a total excitement, like when I was a child and when I was waiting for Father Christmas with his gifts. And SHE is one of those.”
“I love when the concert dates are announced, when you purchase tickets a few seconds after the store is opened, and then you plan your trips. And the journey itself: the departure at dawn, the deserted streets, the loud songs in the car, our sleepy eyes and our stupid and happy smiles. And waiting outside the gates for hours and hours (is there a place nearby to go to the toilet?). Time always flies.”
“The last time that I saw LP, was last year in the Summer in Turin, and I’ve never stopped wanting to see her again. That little ruffled cat creates physical and mental dependence, and this doesn’t disturb me at all, on the contrary, it makes me full of fierce and insatiable awareness.”
“Last Summer we were at another LP concert nearby, in Pescara. The same smell of the sea, the same excitement. Once again, the location positively surprised us: imagine an artificial island with a pentagonal building and a large courtyard in the middle. A star-shaped structure at which a star has performed (ok, the comparison is trivial, but I couldn’t resist).”
“Standing places, that long wait outside the gates since morning, but what a heart attack-concert! We were in the front row, and we appreciated the magnificence of the venue and especially the close proximity to the stage… once again to see her facial expressions was a shocking privilege. The first notes are always the most magical: the sound, the voice, the hearts, everything vibrates… the universe is here and now, concentrated in a small-big woman who shares her inner world with shameless loyalty.”
photo courtesy of @moongris8, shared via Instagram
“I confess, I have a weakness for last year’s setlist… In an interview, LP said that “Lost On You” is very close to Italian sensitivity. And I agree, that song was as usual: damn and splendidly sick. The collective singing of the chorus, is much more than a scenic trick, it’s a sweetly desperate and tormenting scream, the recognition of an irrecoverable powerlessness. It’s a feeling that also commands conscious rationality. It’s the despair of disenchantment, the goodbye you dread, the moment of the most cruel and lacerating passage. A fall without a parachute.”
“But… the new song, “Dreamer”… is as beautiful as the warm light of the morning, moving like the sweetest caress, as heartbreaking as the most passionate kiss. It was love from the first sound. Also, I listened to “Girls Go Wild” live, for the first time, and it’s so good. Even if it’s not as “tragic” musically, it is a thousand miles away from – for example – “Muddy Waters”, but that story of blind, real and unconditional love is engaging.”
“Well, confirmed: LP is the sounding board of all my best and worst thoughts, and this wasn’t a concert but a purification ritual: now I’m more beautiful, younger and much more myself. Tomorrow, LP will be waiting for us again, in Merano… And I can not disappoint her. We’re already traveling, we’ll sleep in the car somewhere, when we no longer will be able to drive. Like young haunted creatures, consciously crazy as only the wisdom of adulthood can be.”
And now, @fr_colors, also wanted to write something, but she just couldn’t… “I’m simply not able to write mine feelings, I can only say that, once again, it was an incredible gig. LP has sang ‘Recovery’ instead of ‘Forever For Now’ (and you know that FFN is one of my favorites), but ‘Dreamer’ is a new wonderful discovery for me: I stood with my mouth open, what an incredible voice! “Goosebumps” was not enough to describe how I felt in that moment. Now I’m waiting to hear that song again and again. And all her songs, obviously…”.
Thank you girls, I think it’s safe to say, that you’ve had a blast and you will get to re-live it, one more time tonight in Pescara!! Have fun! And so it begins…
