Postponed since November due to a broken foot, Florence finally got to parade the stage at the OVO Hydro last night, February 1. It was definitely worth the wait.
The Dance Fever tour is a jampacked setlist of songs from the most recent album of the same name, as well as the classic hits. Of course, not including the rendition of Happy Birthday to two devoted fans in the audience.
Opening with Heaven is Here, the crowd was instantaneously and unanimously spellbound, her voice as serene as ever. Donned in an elegant green dress in front of what seemed to be salt chandeliers, the set was off to an intense and captivating start. And it only got better from there.
Going onto the album’s title track, King, the crowd’s roaring soared as Florence – as usual- began to glide around the stage. Understandably, her iconic barefoot look is on pause due to supportive boots but she was nimble and performative as ever.
Ship to Wreck was next, from the third studio album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. Commanding the crowd to jump, you’d have been sticking out like a sore thumb if you refused to budge. This was the first of many instances where her authority over the crowd proved to be infallible. Her mythical, witchy aesthetic is apparently not just looks- she truly enchanted the crowd to do whatever she asked.
In a fate seemingly impossible these days, she managed to get the entire audience to put their phones down. During what’s arguably her biggest hit, Dog Days Are Over, Florence ensured the entire audience was seeing her not through a screen, but through their own eyes. She asked us to address anyone not obeying. We were to say “please, darling, can’t you put your phone away?”. She then added the South London alternate phrasing: “put your ******* phone away!”
Florence’s charisma and beauty were sustained throughout the show, and the crowd was equally consistently attentive. She praised the Glasgow crowd multiple times, saying we’re “the most incredible” and “best crowd’, and that she always anticipates the Glasgow stop when she confirms her tour dates.
Dancing and crying were the two most common sights of the night, as well as flashes of Florence’s hair as she ran along the barrier, and through the middle of the crow, embracing all the fans she could reach. The concert was insanely intimate despite the vast 14,300 capacity; Florence ensured everyone felt connected and euphoric.
If you have a chance to see Florence and the Machine on the Dance Fever tour – or any tour- do it. You won’t regret it.
Featured Image Credit: Alex Paterson
Journalism and English Studies student with an interest in film & tv, music, and politics.
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Twitter: @AlexPaterson01
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