Sitting casually with her choice of three different guitars and piano, Lizzy McAlpine delivered an acoustic-heavy set of songs at the Bud Light stage on Thursday at Lollapalooza. McAlpine connected heavily with the audience through raw emotion and genuineness.
Her set included nine tracks, most of which were sung with closed eyes in deep feeling. McAlpine started with both “The Elevator” and “Come Down Soon” to warm the crowd up. Numbers which were initially sparse during McAlpine’s start set time of 6:45 p.m. began to increase as listeners sang along to the first couple of tracks.
“Hey guys, welcome to my set,” McAlpine said. “My name is Lizzy McAlpine; thanks for being here. We’re gonna have a fun time … I hope.”
Depending on one’s definition of fun, McAlpine’s goal may or may not have been reached. McAlpine awkwardly stumbled on the words multiple times during her cover of Sufjan Stevens’s “Death With Dignity,” and even had some rough moments in her own songs.
It did not seem like her smiles ever fully met her eyes, and she was not very engaging with the crowd besides the ever-so-often “Thank you for being here’s.” However, through the sheer sound and relayed emotion in song, McAlpine gave a hearty offering to the guests on the grass.
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Alternating instruments, McAlpine sang “Drunk, Running” and “Broken Glass” with such gentle power that could probably be mistaken for something opposite. Her eyes, however, brought truth to onlookers, as they seem to be filled with so much sadness.
“This next song, I wrote while I was on my last tour,” McAlpine said as she introduced “All Falls Down.” She continued, saying, “And I was not having fun! But I’m having fun now.” Giggling slightly, she said that the song included sad lyrics to a happy beat. Crowds danced to the beat of that song, though no one was singing along heavily.
“doomsday” was the longest song in the set and included an extended introduction. The instrumentals, in this song especially, conveyed the spirit behind the music.
Throughout the set, McAlpine’s band expressed their emotions heavily. Solos from different ensemble members gave each song more meaning — and what easily felt like an extra 30 seconds — but most notable was the pianist’s. His facial expressions gave away his heart, as pure anguish and joy coexisted on his face to various songs he was riffing off on.
McAlpine teased an unreleased song, titled “Spring into Summer.” Cute and upbeat, it warmed the crowd heavily. The song was full of metaphors, and you could see McAlpine’s satisfaction throughout its duration.
“ceilings” closed the set, with most of the crowd members audibly singing and swaying along. Eyes still closed during riffs from low to high pitches, McAlpine sang beautifully to a crowd of eager listeners.
Overall, the set was not energetically given, but it was enthusiacally received. It gently showcased the power of McAlpine’s singing ability while maintaining a wall between the crowd and the artist.
