If you haven’t heard of Lindsey Stirling, you need to find some of her music and listen. The violin-playing sensation made a stop at Artpark in Lewiston, NY last Wednesday on her latest tour. In three years and two albums, Lindsey has soared in popularity with young and old alike. She has brought a fresh take on one of the world’s oldest instruments. From the opening notes of “Ascendance,” she pranced and danced about the stage with a wild yet precisely choreographed style all while playing a sculpted electronic violin. The “Dark Tinkerbelle” brought along a 4-girl dance troupe to accompany her and they often had a hard time keeping up with her crazy energy.
Playing a 2-hour set of original and cover songs, Stirling electrified the crowd with costumes, videos, smoke effects, lasers, and most of all great violin playing. This is not your typical violin concert though. Her two-piece backing band laid down the beats and rhythms to perfectly set up the powerful lead string playing of this dancing pixie. Songs like “Moon Trance”, “Shadows”, and “Elements” were a combination of storytelling along with performance. Each song was preceded by a video message that set the theme.
A common element of all of Stirling’s music is transformation. She spoke between songs about her struggles with depression and a lack of confidence growing up. Constant violin and dance practice developed a passion in her which shines a positive message to fans of her music. Her voice cracked a little when she spoke of the support her parents gave her. She thanked the crowd repeatedly throughout the show for their lively support. Lindsey mentioned her YouTube fans and even played a “Nerd Medley” of gamer theme songs.
Finishing the show with the hit “Shatter Me” was a nod to her own transformation and breaking out of her shell after her dark times. An encore of a Phantom of the Opera medley had the crowd on their feet screaming for more. Lurking in the shadows no longer, Lindsey Stirling has become a star.
Setlist:
Ascendance
Senbonzakura
Moon Trance
Shadows
Elements
Nerd Medley
Song of a Caged Bird
Swag
Transcendence
Take Flight
Firefly
Stars Align
Roundtable Revival
Shatter Me
Encore:
Phantom Medley
We would like to thank Maria Hays from Artpark for her assistance in obtaining credentials so BackstageAxxess can review the show.
