(Orlando FL, Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center) She was full of energy, and highly expressive. Lindsey Stirling put on a masterful display of artistic expression and exceptional musicianship inside of the Walt Disney Theater of the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center in Orlando.
The show was to start at 7p, and it was exactly at that time the lights inside the theater cut out and Toronto-based opening act Walk Off the Earth took to the stage. They performed a fairly lengthy 48-minute set, which was a bit surprising for an opener to have such a long time on stage; however, it's in this writer's opinion that Lindsey is just that awesome to those on tour with her and her 'Duality' tour, that she would want to give them as much as exposure as possible on this whirlwind 40-city US tour that concludes next month on September 11. We were several songs into this specific set when they began playing 'Long Way Home' which they released together with Stirling, and rather than the audience having to wait for a grand opening introduction, Lindsey ignited onto the stage and excited fans were treated early on with the sudden appearance of their beloved headliner. Immediately upon concluding this specific song, Lindsey disappeared and Walk Off the Earth continued on with their set, the highlight of which for me was their '6 minute Beatles Greatest Songs of All Time, in chronological order' medley, which, true to its intro, was 6 minutes of highlights of the Beatles greatest hits, in chronological order. There were some very exciting 'drum off' sequences, and moments during which musical instruments were being launched into the air amongst themselves onstage. Overall, Walk Off the Earth sounded great, showcased themselves as a very great sounding musical ensemble, and really got the audience excited and ready for Lindsey.
Approximately 30 minutes later, the lights darkened and over the speakers you could hear audio clips of the negative criticism Lindsey received from her America's Got Talent judges in 2010, when she made it to the show's quarter-finals. Moments later, Lindsey nonchalantly walks onto the stage. No fancy entrance, just walked on playing her violin, but not looking at the audience. For me, this was symbolic of how she used the criticism she received from AGT to fuel her to practice harder, and listen to her inner voice. While playing this initial opening, she is then joined by her background dancers in the way of shadowed silhouettes dancing in the illuminated circles behind her onstage. She danced and she played, then after a few minutes the houselights brightened, and Lindsey looked up at the audience as she stated, "If we could all see our full potential we would all be astounded. Just because someone else doesn't see your potential doesn't mean it isn't there. You're just not there, yet."
Lindsey: 1, AGT judges: 0.
Lindsey was actually very vulnerable onstage as she opened up about her own personal bouts with anxiety, fear, and feelings of disappointing others. She further continued that she also had difficulties with sleep. She then shared that she took 'breathwork' sessions, as suggested by a friend of hers whose feelings she didn't want to hurt. As she continued, she explained that there were simple breathing exercises that we could all do to chemically rest our nervous systems. For her next song, she led the audience through a meditative breathing exercise, prior to which she told us to close our eyes but to not be concerned as she assured the audience that we would not be missing anything onstage. With this, of course, I cheated and peaked at what I was potentially missing as I could hear Lindsey playing live over a very calming background accompaniment track. As I peaked, I confirmed that Lindsey had told us the truth and that although she was playing onstage, she did so with no spotlight on her, and she just casually played. Just as she had done with her opening act, she put the spotlight on us and let us be the focal point of the show.
For the rest of the show, Lindsey was an endless circle of energy, dancing with effortless ease for close to 2 hours straight. Her dance choreography was a demanding one, yet she showed zero signs of being tired up there. The focus she maintained whilst playing was wildly impressive. Having marched in high-school band myself, I am fully aware of how difficult it is to march during a halftime show while doing your best to play your instrument -- and her music, while soothing at times, can be very upbeat the rest of the time and that type of energy is exceptionally difficult and challenging. The show elements reminded me of Cirque du Soleil level quality: the lighting was amazing, the background set she was dancing on and around offered up lots of dimension to allow her and her dancers to execute some very stunning visuals, allowing for some very interesting solos that kept the audience at the edges of our seats.
Watching Lindsey perform was a thing of beauty. She was fun to watch, she was entertaining to watch, and she related on so many levels with the audience. She even had a Tik-Tok moment toward the end of her show, which encouraged about as much crowd participation as you could have during a show.
I'm super-glad that Ms. Stirling used the negatives that were thrown at her years ago, to have then somehow found the courage and strength to turn those into positive experiences for herself. She is truly a success story in the realm of positivity, motivation, and perseverance. May others use her story as an example of following one's heart, and using everything within oneself to push toward their goals and dreams. Continue to inspire those around you, Lindsey.
Bailey Guinigundo
The show was to start at 7p, and it was exactly at that time the lights inside the theater cut out and Toronto-based opening act Walk Off the Earth took to the stage. They performed a fairly lengthy 48-minute set, which was a bit surprising for an opener to have such a long time on stage; however, it's in this writer's opinion that Lindsey is just that awesome to those on tour with her and her 'Duality' tour, that she would want to give them as much as exposure as possible on this whirlwind 40-city US tour that concludes next month on September 11. We were several songs into this specific set when they began playing 'Long Way Home' which they released together with Stirling, and rather than the audience having to wait for a grand opening introduction, Lindsey ignited onto the stage and excited fans were treated early on with the sudden appearance of their beloved headliner. Immediately upon concluding this specific song, Lindsey disappeared and Walk Off the Earth continued on with their set, the highlight of which for me was their '6 minute Beatles Greatest Songs of All Time, in chronological order' medley, which, true to its intro, was 6 minutes of highlights of the Beatles greatest hits, in chronological order. There were some very exciting 'drum off' sequences, and moments during which musical instruments were being launched into the air amongst themselves onstage. Overall, Walk Off the Earth sounded great, showcased themselves as a very great sounding musical ensemble, and really got the audience excited and ready for Lindsey.
Approximately 30 minutes later, the lights darkened and over the speakers you could hear audio clips of the negative criticism Lindsey received from her America's Got Talent judges in 2010, when she made it to the show's quarter-finals. Moments later, Lindsey nonchalantly walks onto the stage. No fancy entrance, just walked on playing her violin, but not looking at the audience. For me, this was symbolic of how she used the criticism she received from AGT to fuel her to practice harder, and listen to her inner voice. While playing this initial opening, she is then joined by her background dancers in the way of shadowed silhouettes dancing in the illuminated circles behind her onstage. She danced and she played, then after a few minutes the houselights brightened, and Lindsey looked up at the audience as she stated, "If we could all see our full potential we would all be astounded. Just because someone else doesn't see your potential doesn't mean it isn't there. You're just not there, yet."
Lindsey: 1, AGT judges: 0.
Lindsey was actually very vulnerable onstage as she opened up about her own personal bouts with anxiety, fear, and feelings of disappointing others. She further continued that she also had difficulties with sleep. She then shared that she took 'breathwork' sessions, as suggested by a friend of hers whose feelings she didn't want to hurt. As she continued, she explained that there were simple breathing exercises that we could all do to chemically rest our nervous systems. For her next song, she led the audience through a meditative breathing exercise, prior to which she told us to close our eyes but to not be concerned as she assured the audience that we would not be missing anything onstage. With this, of course, I cheated and peaked at what I was potentially missing as I could hear Lindsey playing live over a very calming background accompaniment track. As I peaked, I confirmed that Lindsey had told us the truth and that although she was playing onstage, she did so with no spotlight on her, and she just casually played. Just as she had done with her opening act, she put the spotlight on us and let us be the focal point of the show.
For the rest of the show, Lindsey was an endless circle of energy, dancing with effortless ease for close to 2 hours straight. Her dance choreography was a demanding one, yet she showed zero signs of being tired up there. The focus she maintained whilst playing was wildly impressive. Having marched in high-school band myself, I am fully aware of how difficult it is to march during a halftime show while doing your best to play your instrument -- and her music, while soothing at times, can be very upbeat the rest of the time and that type of energy is exceptionally difficult and challenging. The show elements reminded me of Cirque du Soleil level quality: the lighting was amazing, the background set she was dancing on and around offered up lots of dimension to allow her and her dancers to execute some very stunning visuals, allowing for some very interesting solos that kept the audience at the edges of our seats.
Watching Lindsey perform was a thing of beauty. She was fun to watch, she was entertaining to watch, and she related on so many levels with the audience. She even had a Tik-Tok moment toward the end of her show, which encouraged about as much crowd participation as you could have during a show.
I'm super-glad that Ms. Stirling used the negatives that were thrown at her years ago, to have then somehow found the courage and strength to turn those into positive experiences for herself. She is truly a success story in the realm of positivity, motivation, and perseverance. May others use her story as an example of following one's heart, and using everything within oneself to push toward their goals and dreams. Continue to inspire those around you, Lindsey.
Bailey Guinigundo
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