Lily Allen produced her critically acclaimed album West End Girl to Los Angeles over the weekend, where she attracted sold-out crowds at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
Lily Allen performing West End Girl, the singer’s latest tour, is more of a one-woman show than a pop concert. The singer-songwriter performs the entirety of her latest album, Weak, West End Girl. The stage setting allows fans to fully immerse themselves in the world of the album, with elaborate sets that one might find, well, in the West End rather than a pop concert.
Allen played her second of two shows in Los Angeles, starting the album right off the bat with the titular track, phone call and all. One of the most impressive things about Allen’s show is her dedication to the character she portrays on stage and that she never breaks it.
The singer never stopped to address the audience, only pausing to make brief set and costume changes, or break the fourth wall of narration. But that didn’t stop the audience from jamming in on the nannies targeting Allen’s ex-husband, David Harbour, including one audience member who shouted “fuck him”, drawing laughter from fellow audience members.
The show, which lasts about an hour, is worth it. If it were any other show, an hour would be almost too short a time for a headliner to perform, but still West End GirlObviously, it works. This is perhaps one of the best ways in which music can be enjoyed – in the most theatrical way possible.
During “Madeline,” the album’s lead single, Allen chose an audience member to perform the song of the same name. For fans at the Los Angeles concert on Sunday, they were treated to an appearance by actress and reality TV icon Lisa Rinna, who danced under the lights on her seat while Allen sang.
Throughout most of the show, fans in Los Angeles remained seated, until later in the set when it seemed like die-hard fans couldn’t help but dance along to Allen’s vocals. Given the set design, lack of dialogue with the audience and the theatrical environment, it was a bit of a gamble. But once some of the crowd got to their feet, many joined in dancing and swaying.
Unsurprisingly, the song is a highlight of Allen’s album as well, with “Pussy Palace” being a standout moment during the show. Through some well-placed video projections and sound effects, it was as if Allen was hopping the New York subway into this apartment, taking the audience along for the ride.
Allen’s outfits were another highlight of the show, some of which have already sparked chatter online. During “4chan Stan,” Allen wraps herself in a fabric that appears to be full of receipts, a reference to the song in which she discovers that her husband has bought someone else a luxury handbag (“You never went to Bergdorf / But you took someone shopping there on May, 24 / Bought her a handbag, it wasn’t cheap”).
At the end of the show, flowers were distributed to Allen on stage, who bowed to the adoring audience. She made no appearances, simply closing the show with the album’s final song, “Fruityloop.”
The British singer-songwriter will continue his tour on April 28 in San Francisco. The tour will resume again in the summer, choosing to perform in arenas across the UK, US, Canada and Australia.
