Ellie Goulding Launches Orchestra-Backed Tour with Sold-Out Show at Kings Theatre
Ellie Goulding – Kings Theatre – November 16, 2023
Siren (noun): a woman who sings with enchanting sweetness. That’s the perfect definition for Ellie Goulding, a unique soprano with a vibrato that can hit peaks and a lower breathy register that caresses souls. The English singer has long collaborated with producers in the electronic-dance space, like Calvin Harris and Diplo, but it’s her undeniable vocals that have anchored Goulding’s career for more than a decade. With the release of her fifth studio album, Higher Than Heaven, this past spring, she’s back on tour with a twist: Goulding’s passion for classical music began with her playing the clarinet at age nine and has now inspired three U.S. performances with an orchestra. On Thursday at a sold-out Kings Theatre, she kicked off a minitour with Wordless Music Orchestra to reimagine many of her hits and newer material.
Stripping away the synthesized dance beats for strings, Goulding opened with “Burn” in a white-hot floor-length gown. The set was a mix of newer, older and somewhere-in-the-middle material, delighting assembled fans. Her soprano belts carried throughout the venue, and there were times when she pulled away from the microphone and the pureness of her instrument was clearly heard. This was a dream for Goulding, as she basked in the orchestral outro on “New Heights.” While admitting to playing many a rave, Goulding’s always wanted to tour with an orchestra. On Thursday, she opted for ballads and sad songs, like oldie “I Know You Care” and the mature, self-reflective “Woman.”
After a brief interval, the full orchestra and soprano returned to really get at some reinterpretations of those dance hits, like the Calvin Harris–produced “I Need Your Love” and the crowd-favorite “Anything Could Happen,” with string arrangements building the tempo. Despite the ornate surroundings, it felt like a club as everyone joined in to sing the chorus on both tracks while bouncing in and out of their seats. Wordless Music made the night, from the harp accompaniment on “Your Song” to the exquisite piano outro on “Dead in the Water.” And Goulding finally capped off the performance with a pair of hits, “Lights” and “Love Me Like You Do” as the encore. —Sharlene Chiu | @Shar0ck
Photos courtesy of DeShaun Craddock | dac.photography
