Pop Break Live: Lindsey Stirling at The Met (Metropolitan Opera House) in Philadelphia
Words & Photos by Cathy Poulton
Acclaimed violinist Lindsey Stirling brought her Wanderland Tour to Philadelphia’s recently revamped Metropolitan Opera House (aka The Met). Having wowed the crowd at the BB&T Pavilion this past summer on her co-headlining tour with Evanescence, surely the fans were thrilled when the news broke that she’d be returning to the area with her Christmas tour.
Stirling recently released an expanded version of her critically acclaimed 2017 holiday album Warmer in the Winter. No doubt the audience was excited to hear a few of the five new songs that were added to this release.
The set list was a mix of classic holiday standards and songs from her recent release. She was backed by keyboard/guitarist Kit Nolan and drummer/percussionist Drew Steen. And then there were the dancers. So talented and charismatic. Their chemistry with Stirling was fun to watch, and at times it felt magical.
The show had just about everything. There were fun props, holiday-inspired outfits, dancers, singing and laughs — lots of laughs. On the production end, at times it felt like you were watching a Broadway show. Stirling and her dancers performed like a finely tuned machine. It was entertainment at its finest.
Setlist:
All I Want for Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey cover)
Christmas C’mon
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Vaughn Monroe cover)
Warmer in the Winter
Waiting for the Man With the Bag / Jingle Bell Rock
I Saw Three Ships / God Rest ‘Ye Merry Gentlemen
Feeling Good (Nina Simone cover)
Jingle Bells / Deck the Halls / It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas / Feliz Navidad / Hedwig’s Theme / Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer / Oh Holy Night
Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen cover)
Angels We Have Heard on High (James Chadwick cover)
Greensleeves
Crystallize
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Santa Baby (Joan Javits cover)
Run Rudolph Run (Chuck Berry cover)
We Three Gentlemen
Carol of the Bells (Mykola Leontovych cover)
You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch (Albert Hague cover)
Encore:
I Wonder As I Wander (John Jacob Niles cover)
It also didn’t hurt to be performing in a venue that opened a few weeks ago after a $56 million dollar renovation. The place is beautiful. The lighting for the show was stunning and the acoustics were world class. It really complimented what was already a spectacular show!
There were so many musical highlights throughout the night. Stirling played a beautiful version of “Greensleeves” in which she was accompanied by a pair of ballroom dancers. The blue and green visuals on this number were stunning. After sharing a story about the death of her close friend Gavi, Stirling and her guitarist played a touching rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. You could hear a pin drop on this one. Holiday classics like “Jingle Bells/Deck The Halls,””Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” and “Jingle Bell Rock” really got the crowd in a festive mood.
In speaking to the crowd Lindsey shared an inspirational story about her stint on Dancing with the Stars. At the time she was preparing for her upcoming Winter tour of 2017. She was also going to dance classes everyday and dealing with an injury at the time as well. Doubting herself she went to her bishop who promised her she’d find the strength to get through it.
As she introduced the song “Angels We Have Heard on High” she stated she believed it was her father, who died almost two years ago, that helped her get through it all. It was a bittersweet moment. Knowing what this song meant to her, and surrounded by her dancers in beautiful white flowing dresses and simulated clouds, this performance was chill inducing.
As mentioned earlier there were lots of laughs. She stated her dance coach was there and told her to come out. So her beloved dog Luna, dressed in a tutu with pink dyed hair comes running out. This Chihuahua had it going on! The crowd was totally impressed by the tricks she performed. You could hear the laughter of the children in the audience during this skit. During the song “Santa Baby” she played a fun snippet from Britney Spears song “Baby One More Time” and sang oh Santa Baby instead to the opening chords of Britney’s song. More laughs came when Lindsey performed with band members Kit and Drew on child sized instruments that included a piano, drum kit and a violin.
The show was a great way to get into the holiday spirit. It was important to her to remind us all of what the celebration is really about. Her messages rang loud and clear. It’s simple. Love each other, be kind. Encourage others who may feel invisible. Go out of your way to make someone feel better about themselves, even if you aren’t feeling so great about yourself. Some may think these type of talks are borderline corny. Not so. I sat in a section of the venue that for some reason had lots of children and young teens. I watched their reactions to her inspirational talks. These kids were wide-eyed and hanging on her every word. I saw one with tears rolling down her face. This is what you call a role model folks!
Stirling ended the night with “I Wonder As I Wonder”, one of five new songs added to the deluxe edition of Warmer in the Winter, released in October. She dazzled and inspired throughout the night. What a great “feel good” show.
