Pop Break Live: Tove Lo with Noga Eretz at The Fillmore Silver Spring in Silver Spring, Maryland – June 14, 2022
Photos + Words // David Weaver
I’ve always enjoyed seeing singers and musicians from around the world come to US venues to perform. It creates a great opportunity to see different visual and performance styles, hear different melody structures, and see how it all comes together in their own vision of creative expression. Fillmore Silver Spring has long had a solid reputation for featuring a wide variety of artists from a multitude of places around the world–one of the many reasons why I love photographing this venue so much.
On June 14, Noga Erez, an Israeli singer, was opening for Tove Lo, a Swedish singer. It was an interesting show! In addition to having two different styles of musical delivery, they also used two different performance styles.
Noga Erez took the stage, framed, on either side, by a drummer with a synth kit and a single cymbal. It was a large stage for just three people, however from the moment the music started, Erez took command of the stage and didn’t relinquish it for a moment. To say that Erez has a larger-than-life persona would not be an overstatement. Her delivery was both quirky and cool, confident yet sassy, and she made full use of the stage. Dancing in a style seemingly combining hip-hop pop n’ struts and a ballad singer’s grace with an artist’s flair, she was never rushed or off rhythm, despite shifting her pace regularly.
Erez moved to the music as naturally as the notes move on a scale. The audience was just as animated, for once Erez waved her hands from side to side, to get the audience to wave in rhythm with her, they never stopped. Erez had swiftly, decisively, and completely won the audience over. Even during moments when the crowd would sing along, even if they just learned the lines on the spot, they responded in loud, eager voices, matching Erez’s own passionate delivery. Erez’s style and performance was undeniably engaging, whether it was from getting the audience to dance and move to the music, or by chatting with them between songs with a warm, friendly familiarity.
Tove Lo used a visual style that, while confident, was more formulaic. To explain, when watching a concert, you may sometimes notice how the musician moves in patterns that repeat. Tove Lo followed several patterns and, while it limited the visual dynamic, it didn’t limit her overall performance. On the contrary, this gave her more time to focus on connecting with the audience–something that can create an equally memorable night when done well.
And Tove Lo did it well.
Whether it was urging the crowd on to sing along to a refrain, singing to the audience, or moving back and forth from one side of the stage to the other with the confident strut of someone who holds dominion over a realm. It felt like less of a concert and more like a party that she was hosting. Looking out into the audience, it wasn’t just the front rows, but the middle, the sides, and even the furthest section of the back of the house that was singing and dancing along to her songs. A good song has a clear hook, and the audience was clearly hooked on Tove Lo– immersed in her melody and carried away by her catchy confidence. This was her second time at the Fillmore Silver Spring, and Tove Lo remains as dedicated to her fans and putting on a memorable concert as she is to her music.
If you missed your chance to see Noga Erez and Tove Lo live at Fillmore Silver Spring, don’t worry. The US leg of the tour continues until the end of July, and the worldwide tour continues until the end of November.
