Lykke Li at First Avenue

Swedish songstress Lykke Li holds mass at First Avenue

Draped in opaque black curtains and barely lit, First Avenue’s stage looked bleak and dramatic as Swedish indie-pop singer Lykke Li and her bandmates took the stage. Each member, head to toe in black, stood at their post like statues and did not move the entire night. Meanwhile Li, who started off with a short black coat, later exchanging it for a full-body priest-like jacket, drifted across the front of the stage.

The band opened with “I Never Learn”, the title track on Li’s fantastic 2014 album that thematically is driven by a badly broken heart due to breakup she had. A broken heart hovered heavily with the clouds of fog that engulfed the stage most of the night, yet Li showed the beauty of that personal emotion with songs like “Just Like a Dream”. The stage was so dark at times it was hard to make out the members, but the music always cut through hard, with Li sometimes floating ghostly by in and out of the light.

Later in the set, the single “I Follow Rivers” from Li’s 2011 album Wounded Rhymes brought the largest response from the crowd. “Never Gonna Love Again” came up next, with Lykke asking the crowd to put their lighters in the air. The floor sparkled in orange, with the stage engulfed in blue creating a gorgeous scene as the band played on. “Get Some” from Wounded Rhymes came shortly after with an upbeat and heavy drum rhythm that finally had the crowd jumping.

Before returning for the encore, Li said “You are the best audience so far,” bringing a cheer from the attentive crowd that filled the floor. Li then sung in Swedish the cover song “Du Ar Den Ende”, before ending the night with “Heart of Steel” from her new album. Even within the darkness that shrouded the entire show, Lykke Li’s voice shined bright and provided plenty of light. This show was beautiful and unique on so many levels.

Photos for Twin Cities Daily Planet.

*Photographer note: We were forced to shoot from behind the soundboard for the first three songs only. The extreme low lights early in the set provided the biggest challenge.

Lykke Li

Mapei

Lykke Li at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN 9.28.14 Setlist
I Never learn
Sadness is a Blessing
Just Like a Dream
No Rest for the Wicked
Jerome
Dance, Dance, Dance
Little Bit
Sleeping Alone
I’m on Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover)
Gunshot
I Follow Rivers
Never Gonna Love Again
Youth Knows No Pain
Send It Up
Get Some
Encore:
Du Ar Den Ende
Heart of Steel