Pop Break Live: Robyn at The Hollywood Palladium
The 2019 Red Bull Music Festival has spent the last month hosting big-name acts at various venues across Los Angeles, but it finally reached its apex when Robyn hit the stage for the first of two nights at the Hollywood Palladium.
After a much-too-long 8-year hiatus, Robyn recently returned with her electronic-pop record of wonder, Honey. Playing her first major show in Los Angeles since 2011, Robyn returned with a career-spanning set to a completely packed house of adoring fans. Night one of her two-day residency sold out in record time, so it wasn’t too surprising to see the Palladium filled to the brim with hoards of people dressed in sparkle get-ups, painfully-high heels, face glitter, and dramatic couture fashion. The people on the barricade announced they had been in line since 2 pm that day – and once the Swedish pop star hit the stage, it was clear they certainly felt the wait was worth it.
Opening with the atmospheric track off Honey “Send to Robyn Immediately,” the Palladium slowly transformed into a soft but sleek dance space. Robyn, dressed in a tight, white sheath dress reminiscent of several mid-90’s Calvin Klein looks, appeared from behind a silky skrim of white organza. Her stage was practically entirely covered in white material billowing at the edges; a space-age, silver set of steps complimented the chrome dance floor beneath her feet. If the swirling lights reflecting off the shiny floor wasn’t enough, Robyn wore knee-high silver reflective boots. She looked almost angelic when the venue’s watery white lights shone through her bright, blonde hair.
As if the audience wasn’t alive enough, the moment Robyn transitioned into her hit single “Honey” – which actually made its debut in the season finale of Girls – a true dance party erupted. Her electro-pop rhythms, sophisticated cymbal work, and smooth vocals wrapped around the crowd like a warm blanket. Her band, which featured two drummers, two keyboardists, and a funky bassist, perfectly complemented whichever mood Robyn needed to convey. The heart-pounding sugar pop of “Missing U” did nothing but remind the audience that recent pop queens like Lorde, Dua Lipa, Camila Cabello, and even Ariana Grande owe much of their careers to the post-disco dance movement laid down by Robyn. The raw emotion of “Ever Again” embodied so much of the Swedish singer’s music: devastating yet empowering, soft yet moving, and strong-willed yet sensitive.
Despite her years-long absence from performing, the electric energy and soul-baring vulnerability of powerhouse hits like “Call Your Girlfriend” and “Dancing On My Own” still cut like a knife. Watching the crowd respond to lines like “I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her, ohh / I’m right over here, why can’t you see me, ohh / I’m giving it my all, but I’m not the girl you’re taking home” still feels so incredibly powerful nearly a decade after its release. The pulse-elevating “With Every Heartbeat” still brings down the house and her collaboration with Kindness on “Who Do You Love?” still feels so artful in its simplicity; it’s no wonder Robyn chose them for her encore – paired together, they give away to the “genuine connection” she sings about.
Robyn may have been gone for awhile, but it’s so clear that she’s never been better than she is right now, in 2019. Even though her lyrics so strongly represent the female experience, Robyn manages to capture the universal humanity of unrequited love, heartbreak, and love in a pop dance rhythm. More than anything, the Swedish pop singer inspires so much in her legacy. At nearly 40 years old, Robyn is still crafting empowering pop music for women; she’s still using her sexuality as self-expression and still remaining true to herself above all. The best part about the experience of her live performance? At a Robyn concert, no one is ever dancing on their own.
