[ATTENDED: May 30, 2018] Aurora
I first saw Aurora on a Tiny Desk Concert and I was mesmerized by the then 19-year-old. There is somethings so innocent and sincere about her–so open, that it almost feels like you’re seeing something you shouldn’t.
I knew then (October 2016 when I watched it) that I wanted to see her live. Turns out she was playing in Philly a few days after that but I missed the show, so I just had to wait until she came back.
Which was a year and a half later. Turns out the Norwegian singer has written a lot of songs but doesn’t seem to record them very much. And she didn’t come back to Philly. She was in New York for the Governor’s Ball and did an after dark show at the Bowery Ballroom. Since I was not going to go to the Governor’s Ball, Bowery would have to do.
I try not to go to shows in NYC much anymore because the hassle is so great, but this one was worth it.
Aurora came out on a dark stage and sang an a capella rendition of Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy.” She sang beautifully and, mid-song she switched on a light bulb, bathing only her face in light.
As the show opened, we were in the kind of situation where the audience tripped over themselves to laugh and react to everything Aurora said. That subsided after a while. In fairness, Aurora is adorable (I mean, seriously) and virtually everything she says is worthy of an awww or a chuckle. But there are so overdoers out there.
The night was an opportunity to play a bunch of as yet unreleased songs. But she began her set proper with one of the great songs from her only full-length, “Warrior.” Amazingly All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend had seven singles released from it (out of 12 songs…technically the 7th single was a bonus 13th song on later releases, but still).
Then she played three new songs like “Gentle Earthquakes.” Word is that these songs will be fairly stripped down–piano and harp primarily, but these songs were full with her band surrounding her–guitar, keyboards, percussion and a drummer. They made a big sound.
She played two songs from the album we know, a haunting “Murder Song” and the catchy “Runaway.”
In between songs (the setlist is broken into chunks of three songs), she had little dialogues with us. Talking about all manner of things in her excellent but halting English. 
Worrying about saying the wrong things she often held off for a word until she found just the right one.
But honestly, few things were as adorable as her story about finding a bag of poo.
At one point she had some microphone problems and she talked us through it as she tried to snake the wire down her shirt.
After another new song she played the new (incredibly catchy) single “Queendom.” This was agreat moment as Aurora was very much into it. She was into the other songs as well, but she seemed even more loose and free-spirited on “Queendom.”
After a few more new songs, she played “I Went Too Far” before getting to the set-ending (and terrific live) version of “Running with the Wolves.”
For all of her soft-spokenness when she speaks, her singing voice is powerful and quite strong. She’s really inspiring.
She left for an encore break and I really didn’t know what else she could possibly play. She ended with a very moving rendition of the haunting ballad “Through the Eyes of Child.” It made me laugh when I first heard this song because she was how old when she wrote it? But at 22, still a young thing but she has been through a lot, it held more power.
It’s not my favorite of her songs and it is quite a slow song to end the night on. But she was sincere as ever and wished us well.
The whole night was great. I even had the good fortune of discovering a relatively cheap parking garage near the Bowery (thanks, Al).
I assume she’ll be back in the States to tour her new album when it finally comes out. And I’d certainly see her again–preferably in a less crowded place. I’d like to bring my daughter as well, as Aurora is so female-positive.
I just don’t understand why she isn’t getting more airplay in the States.
SETLIST
- Nature Boy
- Warrior
- Gentle Earthquakes**
- Under Stars*
- The Beauty in Forgotten Love**
- Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)
- Runaway
- Soft Universe**
- Queendom**
- All Is Soft Inside**
- Animal**
- I Went Too Far
- The Seed**
- Running with the Wolves
- encore
- Through the Eyes of a Child
bold songs from All My Demons Greeting Me As a Friend *early non LP single **presumed to be on new album Infections Of A Different Kind due out this fall.
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