Music came thundering out of bull country’s Sun Dome in Tampa last week. The electrifying music came from none other than the one-and-only, incandescent Florence + The Machine. Paired along with the British phenomenon was the south London indie rock band known as the Maccabees, who are somewhat similar to We the Kings and Secondhand Serenade.
This was the ninth stop on Florence’s second leg of visiting North America for their two-year tour. Florence + The Machine are out promoting their newest album, Ceremonials, which released Oct. 28, 2011. Ceremonials is the album that Florence proclaims is the “epitome of where I am in my life right now.”
Anyone that enjoys her heavenly, melodic song stylings knows she has a majestic voice that has the raw power to challenge legends like Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Adele. Her performance on Tuesday night was just as awe-inspiring. I had the distinct pleasure of standing in the front row of the floor section along with 200 other Florence fans while she eccentrically twirled around the stage like a black swan ballerina.
I was worried about the quality of her live voice not meeting up to par with the album recordings, however, all my worries were squashed when her voice bounced along with the acoustics of the Dome. She dazzled us with a set list that included but was not limited to: “Only If For a Night,” “What the Water Gave Me,” “Cosmic Love,” “Shake It Out” and she closed with the grand “Dog Days Are Over.”
Florence’s live performance matched her powerhouse pipes portrayed on the albums perfectly. It was actually even better. At times the strength that came out of her vocal chords felt so moving; any music lover would have had all sorts of emotions running through their bodies. My roommate and I were so enthralled by the performance that when Florence sang “Raise It Up,” I placed my roommate on my shoulders upon Florence’s request for everyone to lift a loved one above the crowd.
The accompanying lights slowly raised toward the ceiling as if giving the audience a guide to follow as they lift someone up. Also, the lighting was fantastic in itself throughout the entire show. Florence looked like she was some sort of goddess with the spotlights shining from above down to her. It was almost like her voice was an omnipresent being.
Florence + The Machine’s performance was definitely something I will remember for a very long time. A member of the crowd that stood next to me mentioned that she had seen Florence + The Machine in concert three previous times and this was their best show out of all the others. Even though it was my first Florence concert, it was still particularly memorable, especially the finale.
She has a “ritual” to end every concert by making the crowd jump on the count of three until every single person is jumping together. This prefaced “Dogs Days Are Over,” and we continued to jump throughout the entire song. The energy in the joint was buzzing around like a bunch of molecules bouncing around in space. The audience practically worshipped Florence’s ethereal voice. The whole show honestly centered around Florence, making her seem like an angel. And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Critic’s Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Seannon Nichols can be reached at snichols12392@yahoo.com