Live Review: Lindsey Stirling – 31st October 2024 – Royal Albert Hall, London, UK

As we head very quickly into the colder, darker months of Winter, music fans are seeking a little warmth out of the capital, wherever they can find it. Thankfully for a few thousand of us last night, that warmth wasn’t hard to find as we made our way to the grand Royal Albert Hall for the return of US violin virtuoso, Lindsey Stirling who has brought her suitcase of string scented hits back to London town as part of the superstars latest tour – this time in support of new album, Duality.

Having already conquered the US and Europe, Stirling has set her sights on a handful of venues around the UK and Ireland to bring this latest stage spectacle, including shows in Dublin, Manchester and Glasgow. It was us Londoners’ turn last night as the world-famous Albert Hall played host for the evening. The performance was the last show to be played in its current form, as Lindsey declared mid-show last night, whilst also pointing out a couple of videographers in the crowd who were filming the night for what is likely to be a future release by the petite star.

With a curtain drawn high up on the Albert Hall stage, Stirling arrived at a little after 8.30pm to a thunderous applause and began playing away on her instrument in front of a series of colorfully lit silhouettes, showcasing her impressive dancers who performed in sync to her violin mastery to opening track, Eye of the Untold Her.  The stage design was that of a giant black and gold 1920’s grid style structure with steps to a raised platform for the star to shine, as well as sections given to her guitarist and drummer to provide instrumental support.

From here on out it was a spectacle unlike any other that we have seen at the Royal Albert Hall. Dressed at first in a baby blue and baby pink ensemble that would be traded for a series of impressive looks throughout the show, including a stunning black and gold sequined dress that her and her dances would concert from black to gold during their performance of Inner Gold, it was hard to keep focus on Stirling herself as she darted around the stage with a level of stamina seen in few.

Many of the new songs from her Duality release were present within last nights set including emotionally charged performances of Kintsugi, Untamed, Firefly Alley, with its Irish scents and Lindsey’s violin glowing with a bright, red-lit trim, and Serenity Found, as well as several back catalogue fan favorites.

The physicality in her shows is really something bewildering and admittedly exhausting to watch – in a good way, of course. As she plays her instrument with pure precision, she flexes, bends and extends her body in every imagination position and direction whilst also being fully aware of her audience; encouraging movement and involvement from her adoring fans, many of who were up on their feet right from the opening note. And many remained so with fists launching in the air as a show of encouragement to the star on stage who showed vulnerability through several personal and enlightening stories of her battle with anxiety and self-doubt. Her message, along with the occasional narration between songs, was one of positivity and realizing ones potential and that all things in life are achievable, even for someone as awkward as she described herself. She even had the older members of the crowd joining in on some TikTok fun as she choreographed a light show that utilized audience phones and her talented dancers for a filmed social media moment.

Creating an almost immersive experience through directing her audience to engage with the song through a series of breathing exercises that the performer has used over the years as a way to help calm her anxiety and find more solace in her performing. While this part of the show would see a few members of the crowd look at each other with a slight awkwardness, the moment allowed Stirling herself to take things down a few notches, stand almost still on stage and catch a breath between a show that was quite exhausting to watch, let alone perform to the level of this string playing superstar.

Last nights performance was a tight, well-oiled machine that would give any Cirque du Soleil show a good run for its money. There were acrobatic elements included in this latest tour that would give P!nk goosebumps. There were props that added a story to each and every song – from upside down violin playing, high-speed acrobatics by Stirling and her dancers who intertwined themselves around fabric or clung to spinning metal rings. A moment where one of her dancers floated high in the air while a shower of shimmering glitter fell over Stirling while her dancers held a paper umbrella above her was a visually stunning and emotionally charged highlight of the night, as well as a moment where Stirling herself was propelled above the stage to reveal a giant set of blue wings to a standing ovation – one of many during the night – adding further color and imagination to a show already overflowing with creativity.  Last night’s show ticked ALL the right boxes.

Lindsey Stirling is not just a violinist on a world-class level. There is a depth, richness and genuine heart in her music and performance and she wants her fans to leave her shows feeling enlightened. As she recently told us in an interview ahead of the show, “I hope people leave the show knowing they are magical”. Without an ounce of doubt, that is exactly how each and every person felt as they left last night’s dazzling Royal Albert Hall performance.

Set list:
Eye of the Untold Her
The Arena
Underground
Firefly Alley
Roundtable Rival
Elements
Evil Twin
Serenity Found
Between Twilight
Shatter Me
Kintsugi
Crystallize
Purpose
Untamed
Inner Gold
First Light
Les Fées
Survive

Encore:
Phantom of the Opera Medley

Brendon Veevers

::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.