Lana Del Rey Enchants At The Hollywood Forever Cemetery In Los Angeles: Live Review

Mike Wass | October 18, 2014 2:57 pm

Lana Del Rey cast a lingering spell over the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles last night (October 17) with the first of two surprise shows at the unusual venue. From the moment I walked through the wrought-iron gates and slowly made my way past headstones to the makeshift stage, I knew the diva’s depressing brand of indie-pop had found the perfect setting.

And the 29-year-old rose to the occasion. She casually strolled on stage looking like a ’60s beauty queen, with her Jackie O hairstyle and pretty floral dress, and kicked off the concert with Ultraviolence opener “Cruel World”. It was immediately apparent that Lana was in fine form vocally and seemed less disorientated than the last couple of times I’ve seen her perform. That song segued into Paradise EP cuts “Cola” and “Body Electric”.

Despite the quality of her new album, the Fader cover girl mostly stuck with the more familiar material from Born To Die. (Hearing the title track in the near vicinity of the dearly departed was genuinely touching). There was a smattering of new songs, however, and they all sounded great. Lana upped the tempo with a rollicking rendition “West Coast”, which got screams of approval, and enchanted with the most-slept-on single of 2014, “Ultraviolence”.

If I had to pick a highlight, I’d go with her soaring version of “Old Money”. From its old Hollywood-referencing lyrics (“red racing cars, Sunset and Vine, the kids were young and pretty”) to the song’s exploration of old age and death, it struck a chord with the crowd and even sparked an unexpected sing-a-long. Perhaps it’s time to release it as her next single?

The setlist included:

Cruel World Cola Body Electric Blue Jeans West Coast Born To Die Ultraviolence Old Money Summertime Sadness Million Dollar Man Video Games Ride National Anthem

Did you catch Lana’s show? Let us know in the comments below.

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