Ellie Goulding
Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Wa
04.23.14
The Paramount Theatre has been host to many different forms of entertainment over the past 86 years – talkies, vaudeville, theatre, concerts – the list goes on and on.
Before that, it was a water-filled ravine, trickling down to Lake Union.
Luckily, however, with [great] money and [great] architects, the marquis stands today with Ellie’s name on it, fantastic and bright amid a brisk Seattle evening. Sorry Lake Union. It has been 14 months since Ellie Goulding last graced Seattle with her presence at the SoDo Showbox, and man oh man, how things have changed. Who’s waited longer to see that marquis?
Ellie Goulding has rapidly established herself as a name worth the ticket. A couple years ago I recall walking through a store and hearing I’ll Hold My Breath over the Muzak. I craned my neck to jot down a line or two of the lyrics so that I could download whoever it was. Nobody had heard of this chick, and this song was only released in the UK on her album Bright Lights. If you’re interested, you can YouTube it. I still don’t think it’s available on this side of the sea. I was hoping against all hope that she would play it tonight at the Paramount, for my own nostalgia and personal validation, but alas, she did not. Maybe it’s her Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Her records are incredible, and so was her live performance. She played 20 songs and danced in her black parachute pants well into the evening. Her top became less as the theatre got hotter. Her band included a guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist, and three dedicated backup vocalists. The stage backdrop was a kaleidoscope of fractals and geometric shapes, mountain scenes, and intriguing photography. Goulding shared a story with the crowd about borrowing money to get here on a previous excursion and thinking that she’d never make it back. Oh ye of little faith…
She has learned though, parting this time with “Thank you, have a good one, we’ll see you soon!”
Yes, yes we will.
Opening for Goulding was a delicious talent named Conway. Methodic, intentional, and clean, the music was generally great and made for a fun opening act. I was all in by the end of the first song. Although her image is singular, some real music went down between the foursome on stage. With Conway was her guitarist, bassist, and drummer. They performed 12 songs and all was right with the world. Please take the time to check them out if you’re ready to roll down the windows and breathe in some fresh air.
Review by T. Monte
Photo by Sunny Martini
Ellie Goulding set list:
Figure 8
Goodness Gracious
Animal
Starry Eyed
Stay Awake
Tessellate
Guns and Horses
Beating Heart
Your Song
***Piano Interlude***
The Writer
Explosions
My Blood
Salt Skin
Only You
Every Time You Go
Anything Could Happen
I Need Your Love
Lights
(Encore):
You My Everything
Burn
WOW!! I would love to see her next time she comes to Seattle!! This is a great review!!
GREAT review. She’s coming to my hometown of Brisbane, Australia in 3 weeks. I’m really looking forward to it. Thanks for the excellent read.