The band, best-known for the hopeful and urgent hit “Dog Days Are Over” is paving the way for a spiritual renaissance
On 3 September 2022, I saw Florence + the Machine in concert. I have been a fan of this British indie rock band since I was twelve, around the time the group’s most popular hits “Dog Days Are Over” and “Shake it Out” were released. Since then, I have listened to all five of the band’s studio albums, discovering new favourite songs from each. Although difficult to admit as a student, prior to the concert, I did not do my “homework.” I listened to the band’s new album, Dance Fever, a few times over, but I did not have each word from every song memorized as is typically expected from those who consider themselves dedicated fans of an artist. Still, I was excited to enjoy a fun night out with a friend.
The concert was conveniently held on a Saturday evening. In the late afternoon, I headed downtown to meet up with my friend. We had seen Florence + the Machine in concert once before. In 2019, the band performed at Scotiabank Arena during their High as Hope tour. We figured we knew what to expect. The lead singer, Florence Welch, would stun the audience with her powerful vocals; the other band members would include a talented harpist, drummers, guitarists, and a pianist, and the stage would require minimal decor, perhaps, at most, flowing, translucent curtains that the audience would sway along to. We finished dinner and headed to Budweiser Stage.
We arrived at the venue and immediately lined up to buy concert merchandise. When we got to the front of the line, I noticed a tote bag for sale reading the controversial message “GIRLS AGAINST GOD.” I quickly remembered that this is the name of the fifth track on the band’s Dance Fever album. As my friend purchased a sweater she had been eyeing, I pondered the strength of that message and what it meant to those who bought the bag and proudly toted it. Naively, I figured that this would be the only allusion to religion made at the concert that night.
We entered the amphitheatre and found our seats. Shortly thereafter, Welch emerged from behind the stage and entered into a glowing light as the crowd erupted into cheers. White chandeliers with arms that looked like sharp, melting icicles, enclosed by a giant white picture frame were slowly lowered until they hovered above the band, forming a ceiling fresco reminiscent of those found in religious spaces such as the Sistine Chapel. Welch appeared angelic. While barefoot, she wore a flowing off-white negligee contrasted with black lace trim along the shoulders, sleeves, neckline, and hem. Behind the singer was a haunted looking altar. It was formed of white candelabras of different heights, similar to the chandeliers hanging above the stage. The candelabras were placed on tables and covered sparingly with cheese cloths, making them appear abandoned and draped in cobwebs. Artificial flowers were placed at the base of the altar, rendering it commemorative. I was beginning to see the themes of spirituality and belief emerge.
As the night progressed, Welch sang several songs off the band’s new album that used religious themes as modes of expression. In the song “Free,” Welch uses the imagery of “Christ upon the cross,” to question the purpose of the suffering she endures as a result of anxiety. “Girls Against God” expresses the sadness and rage the singer experienced when live music performance was prohibited during the COVID-19 pandemic. Welch also belted out the band’s aforementioned radio hits and other fan favourites from previous albums while holding her arms out in a Christ-like pose. It became clear that the band’s image was steeped in a distinctive religious motif in the Christian tradition.
However, Welch set out not only to remind her audience of their Catholic school days, but to transform her concert into a religious experience. Notably, during the concert, Welch sprang from the stage and ran into the audience as she sang. She sprinted desperately up and down the aisles; her burly security guards followed behind her looking comically out of breath and annoyed as they tried to keep up. Then she abruptly stopped in front of the audience standing in the general admission pit and reached out into the crowd, welcoming people’s touch and holding their hands. Then, she looked into the eyes of an audience member with curly red hair, wearing a flower crown, and sang, as if only to them, as she caressed their face, gently tracing her finger from their temple down their jawline. This shockingly intimate moment appeared to leave the audience member in awe. They looked back at Welch transfixed, bewildered, and inspired, as their sparkly gold blush glimmered in the spotlight. It made the audience member appear as though Welch had transported them to some place the rest of us just could not understand. My friend and I were surprised to have witnessed such a sacred moment taking place so publicly.
At another point during the concert, Welch asked the audience to put their phones away for the duration of a song. If my memory serves me correctly, church is probably the only place on earth where I willingly set aside my phone. But Welch asks her audience to temporarily unplug and be present, something many people struggle to do. As a 1L, I know this all too well. I often find my mind racing, worrying about future tasks. I wonder, when should I have these cases read by? When is this application due? How will I be ready for this exam in time? Yet Welch asks her audience to surrender to the moment. Once everyone’s phones were stowed away, Welch asked that we all jump up and down to the music. Engaging in physical movement is usually a part of a religious experience after all.
I think it is fair to say that we live in a largely secular society. Many people think there is no longer room for spirituality in daily life. They question its purpose. What is the point of belief and faith when we have scientific facts to explain how our world works and how we should feel? However, it seems to me that this is something that many people need as the world attempts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic while also continuing to face increasingly frightening humanitarian crises.
The Florence + the Machine concert offered far more than entertainment. For many, it provided a communal space of healing, freedom, safety, and hope achieved through live music and dance. Ultimately, I cannot speak for everyone in the audience that night, but I am confident that I witnessed this Florence + the Machine concert be of great spiritual significance to a lot of people. And I have faith in that.