Category: Music

Anyone who knows me or has the slightest idea of my music taste knows that Halsey is one of my absolute favorite artists. I remember hearing her track “Colors” play after a Lana Del Rey album came to a close on Spotify, and my love for Halsey’s music has lived on ever since.

When I listened to her latest album hopeless fountain kingdom for the first time back in June, I knew I had to see this album performed live. The Romeo and Juliet inspired story turned theatrical conceptual album captured my attention in a way that new albums haven’t done so in a while. The intense lyrics, the colorful beats and genuine artistry made this album one for the books.

I went to the Chicago show on November 19th with my lovely boyfriend. Seeing Halsey in concert was an incredible experience, and the anticipation for it was definitely worth it. There was fire, smoke, confetti, and all the lights and colors you could imagine. Halsey’s stage presence was exhilarating, and the crowd definitely imitated her energy.

Halsey took time to talk to her audience between, a personalized touched that I absolutely loved. She spoke about recognizing our wholeness as people and remaining true to ourselves – both of which are themes of hopeless fountain kingdom. At every point of the concert, it was clear this tour was composed thoughtfully and artfully.

The concert was different from what I imagined because I thought she would play all of hopeless fountain kingdom. Instead, she performed a montage of her current songs mixed with older favorites.

Some notables performances straight from hopeless fountain kingdom were “Bad At Love”, “Don’t Play”, and “Alone”. “Bad At Love” was super fun to see live, especially since the entire crowd belted the anthem alongside Halsey. Halsey engaged in some choreographed dancing with Tee Tee, her dancer, for “Don’t Play” on a small water-filled staged in the middle of the crowd. This really got the crowd going. With images of colorful balloons and the track’s bluesy vibes, Halsey’s performance of “Alone” made me feel like I was partying with Gatsby.

I have to say, my favorite performances were of her older songs: “Colors”, “Drive” and “Hurricane”.

Colors

“You’re ripped at every edge but you’re a masterpiece.”

When I listen to her song “Colors”, I can see flashes of colored lights and profound patterns in my head. Halsey brought this song to life on her tour. This performance featured intensely colorful videos of bursts of bright powders and mouths engulfing colorful drugs. The stage lights filled the stadium with multiple colors.

This video taken in Toronto shows Halsey’s “Colors” performance.

Drive

“And California never felt like home to me, until I had you on the open road and I was singing drive…”

“Drive” is one of those songs that take you to another place. This song transports me into the scenario of driving fast down a highway in a car with a new love interest, wondering what comes next. I loved experiencing Halsey perform this song live with my boyfriend because this song reminds me of the fresh beginnings of our relationship.

Aside from her perfect vocals and the bright and colorful visuals, the amazing part of this performance was the audience. Tons of people across the stadium waved a light to the movement of the sound, uniting us all. “Drive” is not a new Halsey song, and seeing thousands of people being taken away by the performance was something special.

This video of “Drive” was taken at the Chicago show.

Hurricane

“Don’t belong to no city, don’t belong to no man.”

Halsey closed her show with “Hurricane”, a personal anthem about belonging to no one but herself. The performance featured lightning, smoke and confetti. It’s easy to say Halsey ended with a bang.

This video of “Hurricane” was taken at the Chicago show.

I’m so glad I finally got the chance to see Halsey in concert, Needless to say, if she comes back to Chicago, I will definitely be the first to buy tickets!