Photo taken by Markofthehorse.
On Wednesday night, Natalia Kills, Maluca and Robyn took to the stage at Terminal 5 in New York City.
This is what transpired.
Photo taken by Andrew St. Clair for Brooklyn Vegan.
First up to perform was my bloody valentine, Miss Natalia Kills.
The brooding seductress took to the stage around 7:40 P.M. to work her way through the same set as the one I caught the week before Halloween at the PopJustice/High Rise showcase in Brooklyn–a killer whirlwind of five tracks from her upcoming album: “Zombie,” “Wonderland,” “Free,” “Love Is A Suicide,” and lead single, “Mirrors.”
The macabre act translated well on a larger stage, as Kills’ sinfully luscious dancers finally had room to strut and spin in full force around the singer. And slowly but surely, the props just kept coming: Masks, axes, leather and cuffs–just a few of my favorite things!
Oh Natalia, you absolutely slay me each and every time.
Photo taken by Andrew St. Clair for Brooklyn Vegan.
About twenty minutes later, Maluca took to the stage with two dancers flanked in “Parental Advisory” over-sized sweatshirts and dark shades shouting in what sounded like devil tongue. Seeing as I’d never seen or heard her before, my reaction was simple: WHO DA FUCK IS DIS BITCH?!
Then she started performing.
Like a cross between Arular-era M.I.A., Flesh Tone-era Kelis, and a whole lot of random musical influences in between (Janelle Monae and Santigold come to mind), Maluca was giving me everything I needed as she raced through a breakneck, WTF-worthy set of hi-octane Diplo-fied beats and dutty lyrics.
“My hair weighs like five pounds…that’s heavier than your left nut. I’m doing this shit for YOU,” she growled to the crowd at one point, working up and down the stage and whipping around some sort of furry hair rope. I had no idea what the fuck was going on (which you can blame on three hours of sleep and delusions of grandeur), but I was l-o-v-i-n-g (and living) every second of it–even the inexplicable cover of Jay-Z/Alicia Keys‘ “Empire State of Mind.” (WATCH)
Then that amazing mess was over, and the crowd started getting randy. Or rather, they turned into a pile of douche-fucks.
Before I even had a chance to practice my epic-bridge-breakdown-fist pump “Dancing On My Own” choreography, about 10 glitter-drenched Ke$ha try-hards and their assorted gays attempted to squeeze their way into my area and/or personal safe zone. Luckily, I know how to push back (and/or snatch an extension), and while my entire outfit was soiled with their tainted slut glitter, I remained firmly on top. (Don’t I always?) Pause. Moving on.
Twenty minutes later, the lights went low and an eerie sound began emanating from the speakers as strobe lights flashed and smoke poured from the stage. What was it? Why, the sound of an intergalactic space-hop princess coming in for a crash landing, of course!
Photo taken by Andrew St. Clair for Brooklyn Vegan.
And so Robyn took to the stage, looking fresh to death as always with her hair side-swooped to perfection, wearing tight white pants and a broad-shouldered blazer. Very scientifically advanced hot mama!
For those who attended the year’s best concert three months ago–The All Hearts Tour (REVIEW)–you’ll be happy to know that Robyn’s second run around the country borrows heavily from herAll Hearts set. She even ate the banana during “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do” again! YASSSS.
Over the course of an hour and a half, the Swedish superstar cycled through her biggest hits and fan favorites, including “Dancing On My Own,” “Hang With Me,” “With Every Heartbeat,” her collaboration with Röyksopp, “Girl And The Robot,” “Dream On,” and “Be Mine.”
The set also benefited from a glossy Body Talk Pt. 2 face-lift, including an oddly romantic, lo-fi re-rub of “U Should Know Better” (the line “Even the Vatican knows better than to fuck with me” has never sounded quite so charming), “Love Kills” (GAYMAZING) and the latest single off of Pt. 3, “Indestructible.”
After about an hour of some serious body rockin’ and hip tossin’, Robyn bowed out (well, for the first time of the night anyway) with one of her greatest tracks to experience live: “With Every Heartbeat.” (WATCH)
Photo taken by Andrew St. Clair for Brooklyn Vegan.
But as any seasoned concert-goer ought to know, it ain’t over until the lights come up. They didn’t, and within just a few seconds, she was taking to the stage for the second–and then later–a third time.
“You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen,” Robyn started to sing slowly to the crowd’s loud approval. It was a cover of ABBA‘s shining disco classic, “Dancing Queen.” But before anyone could slip into their bell-bottoms, Robyn quickly transitioned into a nearly acapella rendition of her 1997 smash, “Show Me Love.” (WATCH)
The classic was most definitely a hit: Directly in front of me, a girl began to seize madly with an indescribable excitement, reaching out to Robyn and then back to her boyfriend and then back to Robyn in disbelief. “You’re the one that I ever needed,” the singer crooned as the crowd sang loudly–nearly drowning her out in the process.
After the extended singalong, it was clear that this was–at last–the actual last song. “Goodnight New York, I love you!” she shouted for the millionth time to an audience, as dozens of fans greeted her with their hands raised and cupped in the shape of a heart. All Hearts, part deux!
Photo taken by Andrew St. Clair for Brooklyn Vegan.
Robyn’s is a show that simply cannot be missed; an entertainer wholly worth the price of admission. Her performances are truly, consistently legendary, which is why she remains the most underrated artist in the industry.
Seeing as I’ve now seen and reviewed her three times in the past three months, there’s really not much more I can do or say to further express what an unstoppable force of energy and enthusiasm Robyn is on stage. The woman is a star, ’nuff said.
With one album still to come from the Body Talk series, something tells me this isn’t the last time I’ll be catching her.
Until then, my love!
Setlist (Courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan).
Fembot
Cry When You Get Older
Cobrastyle (Teddybears cover)
Dancing On My Own
We Dance to the Beat
Don’t Fucking Tell Me What to Do
Love Kills
The Girl and the Robot
Indestructible
Dream On
With Every Heartbeat
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U Should Know Better
Konichiwa Bitches
Hang With Me
Be Mine
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Dancehall Queen
Dancing Queen (ABBA cover)
Show Me Love