Grimes concert is a spiritual awakening

It’s Thursday night and the Shrine is packed full for a sold-out show. The audience is getting restless, waiting for someone to take to the stage. That someone is Canadian-born Claire Boucher, better know as synth-pop artist, Grimes.

The April 21 performance featured female-fronted openers Tei Shi, a Brooklyn-based pop/R&B singer, and French group Christine and the Queens. Both Tei Shi and Christine and the Queens musically and cohesively built each other up, perfectly setting the stage for Grimes’ arrival. Having all-female leads perform was inspirational and moving, and a total call for girl power.

Tei Shi took stage to an eager crowd, performing several songs from her most recent EP, Verde, which debuted in 2015. Songs like “See Me,” “Go Slow” and “Bassically” set a relaxed yet pumped tone that listeners totally vibed to. Her stylistically unique sound and angelic voice successfully gave the audience a precedent for what was to come later in the night.

As the evening progressed with anticipation, Christine and the Queens came on next. Dressed in all black, members of Christine and the Queens resembled a mixture between spies and something out of Vogue. Frontwoman Héloïse Letissier, along with her backup dancers, presented an aura of creativity mixed with subtle sexuality and passion. Through energetic choreography, an infusion of French and English lyrics and a mashup of some of Kanye West’s “Heartless,” the crowd embraced the liveliness and vibrancy that Christine and the Queens presented.

Letissier was authentic and true to herself. Towards the end of her set, she left the crowd with words of wisdom, expressing, “I believe in many ways to exist.” Her time on stage was not only full of energy and animated music, but also a message underlying the promotion of self-love, expression and acceptance, paralleling to several songs she performed that night.

Finally, the lights dimmed and the classical music that had played in between sets subsided. Backup dancer Alyson Van came out on stage performing solo choreography to introduce Grimes, backup vocals Hana Pestle and fellow backup dancer Linda Davis.

Grimes, with shaggy pink hair and a welcoming demeanor, took to her musical platform of gadgets and gizmos, switching on buttons to create a mixture of sounds. She started off the show strong with “Realiti” from her newest album Art Angels, and transitioned into a crowd favorite “Genesis” from her 2012 album, Visions.

Throughout her performance, Grimes appeared comfortable with her stage and listeners, making for a personable experience. She interacted well with her backup dancers and backup vocals. While it was her show, Grimes didn’t make the performance entirely about her. With the incorporation of dancers, Van and Davis, along with Pestle, everyone on stage contributed in their own unique way, collectively making for an amazing show.

What made Grimes’ show special was how raw and real she was in her expression and personality. Though there were a few mishaps involving the volume of her mic, as well as a bass that at times overpowered vocals, the production level Grimes presented was high-quality and professional. While maintaining professionalism, this didn’t stop her from being playful, quirky and interactive with the audience.

At one point, she had forgotten the lyrics to “World Princess Part II,” even saying during the song she didn’t remember the words. It was an instance like this that really clicked among the crowd in that no one booed or criticized her; rather, everyone applauded and cheered for her to keep going. This moment gave a realization that even artists as imperfectly perfect as Grimes make mistakes here and there, and that’s what makes people human. It was clear that everyone in the room was experiencing Grimes in their own way, and though interpretations might have differed from person to person, everyone was there in support of Grimes and her music.

Grimes was free and angsty and at times even chaotic with little howls and growls, yet she was also mesmerizing and delicate, exactly how one would imagine an art angel to be. She was sweet, soft-spoken and humble when she addressed the audience in between songs, and made sure to shout out those who had helped her get to where she is today.

Though the whole night was a beautiful time, highlights from Grimes’ performance included (but were not limited to) “Venus Fly,” and “Go.” The entire Shrine went hard, wildly dancing along to the beat that electrified the whole room.

In an unconventional and unorthodox way, Grimes concluded the show without a traditional encore, where the performer leaves the stage only to come back on a few moments later. Grimes explained that if she were to do it the traditional way, she’d feel too panicked to come back on stage. This only kept the audience momentum going. So Grimes concluded the night with upbeat song, “Kill V. Maim.” Grimes started strong and ended strong.

After the show had ended, everyone began to skirt their way out, only to come to a stop when a song from the late Prince had begun to play. A fitting tribute to the legend who had only just passed away, “Let’s Go Crazy,” boomed and the crowd began to dance. It was a way of mourning for many, but also a celebration of music and love, for Tei Shi, for Christine and the Queens, for Grimes and for Prince.