With two "sold out show(s)" at the iconic Eventim Apollo in London, Lizzy McAlpine's Older tour takes fans through the still, yet heartbreakingly loud dichotomy of her third studio album.
Most recognisable for her hit song 'ceilings', Lizzy McAlpine has seen record-breaking acclaim for her honest songwriting and melodic earworms. With the 2024 LP, Older, Lizzy departs from the more "pop-esque" sounds she's explored in her past records, and as a result made the decision to change the format of the tour of the same name. Compared to dancing around during live shows, Lizzy reconnects with her comfort zone by sitting together with her incredibly talented band - "the boys" - on stage, headphones in and ready to play.
I was on the fence about buying a ticket. This was not because I was uncertain about going, but rather the lack of concert experience I had been dealt with and the fact I had no one to go with. After some thought (and a staring contest with my bank account), I bought one for London night two. There was no WAY I was going to miss out on seeing my album of the year live just because of some nerves. Luckily, a silly TikTok helped me find someone to go with and the process of getting inside the venue was not as gruelling as I thought it would be.
A nice change was that Lizzy did not have an opening act, allowing me to also be "in bed at like 11(pm)" as the singer-songwriter stated in an Instagram live about the tour. Therefore, all focus was on Lizzy. The show opened with the boys creating a beautiful ambiance, and with a smooth transition into the first track of the album, 'The Elevator', a soft piano rhythm began to make itself known.
The stillness of the room was resounding. Line by line Lizzy generated her own spotlight and I could feel breaths held in the room anticipating each lyric to come. It wasn't until the drop into the song's outro that I was brought back to the venue room. With full-body chills, it was at that moment I realised I had 100% made the right decision to be there that night.
Lizzy proceeded to play through half the tracklist of Older, with wholesome crowd moments including 'I Guess' where the famous "Here we go!" chant fuelled the crowd with energy and shocked Lizzy by its sheer volume. Alongside playing Older however, Lizzy also performed some songs from her sophomore album, Five Seconds Flat, in which she and the band recreated versions of these tracks to fit the tour. This led to me losing my absolute mind during 'doomsday' with a piano solo led by Taylor Mackall in the song's outro; he gained immense praise from the crowd as he truly lost himself in his playing.
The back half of the setlist flowed through the rest of Older, weaving in some nice surprises. Instead of a Joni Mitchell cover that Lizzy would perform each night, London night two received 'Celebrate Me Home' by Kenny Loggins, a Christmas-y cover that would end up being an Apple Music exclusive released a week after the show. The release of Lizzy's deluxe album on October 4th, Older (and Wiser), also added a unique change to the European leg. Deluxe tracks such as 'Soccer Practice' and 'Pushing It Down and Praying' allowed the show to feel extra special, and also created more wholesome crowd moments during 'Spring Into Summer' with everyone swaying their hands in unison.
While the show closed with 'Vortex', of course Lizzy was not going to leave without an encore. Alongside her surprise covers Lizzy also performed a surprise song from the rest of her discography.
Now, I had been hopelessly praying for anything from When The World Stopped Moving: The Live EP, especially 'Let Light Be Light' or '…What Are We?'. However, I had heard through social media that another track from the EP - ‘Angelina’ - had already been played for London night one. With disheartened acceptance I thought, "There's no way she would play another song from the EP again? This EP has barely been performed live as it is!". What I didn’t know was that my jaw was about to DROP hearing the fingerpicked intro for '…What Are We?'. Knowing that this was the first time ever this song was getting performed live genuinely made my entire night (and almost made me tear up).
The show finally ended with, of course, 'ceilings'. I can confidently say that the reimagined version paired with the crowd’s energy created the most beautiful atmosphere I have ever experienced. Seeing Lizzy and the boys be able to reinvent an already incredible song to make it even more magical made me scream every word as loud as possible.
Normally I lay off listening to an album after seeing it live, however my listening activity has only skyrocketed knowing the show has changed how I experience Older and Lizzy's discography overall. This was truly a special night I will never forget.
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