Review: MARINA is an Alt-Pop Art Exhibition at the Orpheum Theatre
The singer brought her accessible, yet high-brow Love + Fear Tour to Minneapolis
Photo: Harp Digital Media
Truly unique pop artists are hard to find. Everyone’s chasing trends, and nobody’s taking risks. MARINA is that rare bird who defies it all to produce content that breaks the mold. It fits her own preferences, for better or worse. That’s admirable.
Having experienced her last two tours, in 2013 and 2015 respectively, Tuesday night’s Love + Fear Tour stop was objectively her best yet. The stark staging, sublime vocals and tight choreography impressed. Though her new album might not rank as the fan favorite, its songs were much better live and conveyed maturity and growth.
Onstage, MARINA was flanked by four backup dancer-backup singer hybrids. An immensely talented troupe, the four took turns at different roles throughout the evening. Their austere movements and capable vocals provided the perfect accompaniment for MARINA, a specific artist whose fans expect the best. Staging was simple, with projectors animating over blank white platforms and backdrops.
From her ethereal opener “Handmade Heaven,” to debut single “I Am Not a Robot,” MARINA impressed vocally with studio-quality tone and clarity. This continued throughout the night, including during two piano ballad moments (including mega sing-along “Teen Idle”) which had the audience loudly harmonizing with the Welsh chanteuse.
In a debut for the tour thus far, MARINA performed her fan favorite, debut album single “Oh No!” The crowd reacted with genuine surprise, still up to the task to sing along to every word. “How to Be a Heartbreaker” was the final encore track. A worthy closer, the propulsive precursor to Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” had the crowd jumping and singing along at a fever pitch. A fitting finish for a cult favorite artist whose impact is only getting more concentrated as time goes on.
