Ellie Goulding w/ Matt and Kim
Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 9, 2016
Brooklyn-based indie pop duo Matt and Kim opened with an energetic set. If you’ve never seen the pair, they are a sight to behold. Although they display more goofball antics as opposed to true musical talent, they did a good job at entertaining the crowd who jumped along to songs throughout their set. Drummer Kim climbed on her drums between songs and made bad jokes to vocalist/keyboardist, Matt. Their performance of “Daylight” was a highlight.
Needless to say, there was reason to be extra excited when Ellie Goulding finally hit the stage with an entourage of musicians, backup singers and dancers. The EDM pop princess has changed a good bit since I last saw her years back at a show in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Part of that change had to do with the extra bodies onstage while the other part had to do more with a diva, sex appeal persona radiating from Goulding throughout the night. On songs like “Something In the Way You Move,” and “Keep on Dancin’” buff male dancers worked their way around Goulding, at times even drawing her closer with ropes in a BDSM fashion.
But Goulding’s sweet side came out on acoustic numbers like “Devotion” and the heartfelt “Army,” a song written about one of her best friends who is currently on the road with her. A slideshow consisting of photos of the besties was flashed on the big screen.
Goulding mostly played songs from 2012’s Halcyon and 2015’s Delirium, but she didn’t forget the song that helped to launch her career, “Lights” from her 2010 album of the same name. She finished her lengthy set with some of her most popular songs to date – “Need Your Love,” “Burn,” “Anything Could Happen,” and “Love Me Like You Do.” During the latter, there was a confetti blast to close the night’s exuberance.
Setlist
Aftertaste
Holding on for life
Goodness Gracious
Something in the Way You Move
Outside
Devotion
Keep on Dancin’
Don’t Need Nobody
Explosions
Lights
Army
Lost and Found
Figure 8
On My Mind
Codes
We Can’t Move To This
Need Your Love
Burn
Anything Could Happen
Love Me Like You Do
This article appears in Jun 8-14, 2016.
