Last night, Lana Del Rey held court at the second of two instantly sold out surprise shows at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which was absolutely amazing on every level. I saw Lana live at her debut Los Angeles show at the Troubadour in December 2011, which was decent yet nearly three years later, she has seriously sharpened her live performances–way better than the second time I saw Lana at the El Rey Theatre in June of 2012. I was pleasantly surprised by how great her voice sounded while being way more confident and comfortable on stage–completely owning the evening as the devoted crowd worshiped at her feet–impressed is an understatement–color me blown away!
The eerie (and historical) gravesite venue (kudos to the awesome staff for keeping everything organized, providing free water and allowing everyone to bring in their own booze and food) couldn’t have been more perfect for the setlist (on the short side with only 13 songs and no encore–my only gripe of the night) comprised of songs from Lana’s debut album, Born To Die, along with her sophomore effort Ultraviolence (which continues to grow on me). The Hollywood hipster crowd was super chill and relaxed–zero stress–no drama–just incredible music and hauntingly good vibes while the smell of hydroponic weed lingered in the gloomy night air. The combination of each and every element of the night (which was professionally filmed–perhaps for an official release) without a doubt equals one of the best nights I’ve had since moving to LA in 2001. I knew Lana performing amongst graves, crypts and mausoleums might prove to be epic–that’s exactly what transpired.
Don’t miss the awesome pictures and videos my dear friend Joey captured during the evening. I wish I could relive the entire experience of Lana’s already legendary show every weekend–everyone who was lucky enough to be in attendance last night knows exactly what I’m talking about!
PS My buddy Mike Wass attended the Friday night show, here’s his review on Idolator.
“Born To Die”
“Video Games”
“Summertime Sadness”
“Million Dollar Man”
SETLIST:
Lana Del Rey | Hollywood Forever Cemetery | October 18, 2014
• Cruel World
• Cola
• Blue Jeans
• Body Electric
• West Coast
• Born to Die
• Ultraviolence
• Old Money
• Shades of Cool
• Video Games
• Summertime Sadness
• Million Dollar Man
• National Anthem
