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Lana Del Rey could do no wrong in the eyes of the fans who filled the Greek Theatre in Berkeley to capacity on Sunday, Oct. 6.
She’d walk casually from one end of the stage to the other and the crowd would go wild. She’d utter the most commonplace statement — like a simple “Hello, Berkeley” — and fans would react as if it were the greatest thing they’d ever heard. She’d insert an extra F-bomb into a lyric and people would roar in approval.
So, you can probably imagine how the crowd reacted when Del Rey actually got around to singing — with that amazing voice of hers — some of her best songs.
Yeah, it was that kind of night. Hero worship was in full effect from start to finish of the 20-song set, which showcased both old and new songs as well as number of cool surprises.
Del Rey opened the show in dramatic fashion with the slow, moody and provocative “Norman (Expletive) Rockwell,” the title track to the singer’s latest album. It was the first of four “Rockwell” offerings of the night and all of them sounded strong.
Del Rey’s vocal delivery was restrained and proudly melancholy, yet still highly charged — just sizzling with emotion — as she continued through “Bartender” and a captivating take on Joni Mitchell’s “For Free.”
The Mitchell moment was the first of several chess moves to draw a direct link between Del Rey and some iconic singer-songwriters.
The next came when Del Rey called the Bay Area’s own Joan Baez out to the stage to perform with her.
And the response from the audience seemed to be something along the lines of:
“Who?”
Yes, this high school/college-aged crowd was a lot different from the ones you’d usually find at a Baez in concert, something the legendary folk music artist seemed well aware of as she took her spot next to Del Rey.
“Hello, children,” was how Baez greeted the crowd.
The two shared a duet on the Baez classic “Diamonds and Rust,” then Del Rey stepped out of the spotlight to let Baez sing and strum through a solo version of the Bob Dylan beauty “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”
Yet, the surprise guest appearances didn’t end there. Later in the show, Del Rey brought out Adam Cohen (son of the late, great Leonard Cohen) and the two performed a stellar take of his dad’s “Chelsea Hotel #2.” And there would be one more cover as well, as Del Rey pushed pause on the reflective “sadcore” vibe and went about rocking fans with a version Sublime’s “Doin’ Time.”
Cohen would also make a comment about how “you can tell a lot by the kind of company a person keeps.” And the guess here is that’s exactly what Del Rey was counting on when she made room for Baez, Sublime, Mitchell and the Cohens (both father and son) on the set list. Simply through the power of association with these iconic acts, Del Rey was subtly able to lift her own stature as an artist and exclaim for all to hear that she’s in it for the long haul.
Not surprisingly, some of the most memorable moments of the night came when Del Rey led her band through the equally cinematic and dramatic music off “Born to Die,” the singer-songwriter’s 2012 major label debut, which stands as one of the best albums of the decade. Top highlights included the album’s title track, “Off to the Races” and, especially, “Summertime Sadness,” a track that absolutely pulses with passion and possibility.
In all, it was a great night for Del Rey, who used the occasion to not only showcase her otherworldly vocals but also highlight that she deserves to be ranked among the top singer-songwriters of the decade.
Here’s the set list:
1. “Norman (Expletive) Rockwell”
2. “Bartender”
3. “For Free”
4. “Diamonds and Rust”
5. “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”
6. “Mariners Apartment Complex”
7. “Born to Die”
8. “Blue Jeans”
9. “Cherry”
10. “White Mustang”
11. “Pretty When You Cry”
12. “Change”/”Black Beauty”/”Young and Beautiful”
13. “Ride”
14. “Chelsea Hotel #2”
15. “Video Games”
16. “Ultraviolence”
17. “Summertime Sadness”
18. “Doin’ Time”
19. “Off to the Races”
20. “Venice Bitch”
