Lana Del Rey Live at the SECC, Glasgow

Not long before Lana Del Rey’s Scottish performance it was reported on The Scotsman’s website that the American singer surprised a Co-op cashier in Shawlands when she spotted the singer waiting at the back of her queue.  The store worker told Lana that she looked like “that American singer” and to her disbelief it really was.  Lana bought the cahier a copy of Vogue and signed it for her.  Before reading this I wasn’t entirely convinced of Lana’s seemingly random affection for the city of Glasgow.  She had previously tweeted: “all my friends and family are in Glasgow" and the city was where she was “happiest”.  It was also reported in the Metro that the all-American singer bucked the trend on celebrity travel when she touched down in Scotland on an Easyjet flight.

     I do struggle to consolidate most of my friends and family with Lana Del Rey: mainstream in popularity, but definitely not in style.  Most of the time you’ve either never heard of her; or you have, but immediately dismissed her as depressing.  Upon first listen, admittedly, her music does sound depressing – calling the album “Born to Die” probably doesn’t help.  However, to the right set of ears, you’ll understand that if you listen to her songs then they are better described as realistic and evocative.  Albeit, some songs will sound pretentious to some: your typical sad song with exaggerated references to sex, drugs and death.  But Lana Del Rey’s records are autobiographical, they tell stories - especially about life, relationships, money and the influence of America. 

     The appeal is there.  It comes not only from the lyrics but from the voice.  Lana Del Rey is classic, soul, jazz, pop all emanating from one woman.  The vocals are everything from tender young sweetheart to gritty urban woman.  The range is impressive and a Lana track stands out in the contemporary charts.  Being already obsessed with most of the tracks, the crowd just needed to hear them being performed.  Lana Del Rey never disappointed: the set was majestic with palm trees, lion statues and screens in gold frames; but most importantly, Lana sounded perfect – hitting every note, even the outstanding high and low ones that artists often omit during live shows.

     “My pussy tastes like Pepsi Cola” was the opening line of the concert taken from the sexually explicit track “Cola”.  Following this was a well chosen set-list including all the singles.  “Born to Die” was one highlight.  The UK top ten hit was performed with style: Lana stood back from the crowd and let us appreciate the tones of her voice and the profound melancholy of the lyrics.  Whereas “Without You”, a softer track about the triviality of fame and fortune in the absence of love, saw the singer intimate with the audience, sitting on the edge of the stage.  The crowd were ecstatic when she introduced latest single “Young and Beautiful” featured on the soundtrack for the new “Great Gatsby” film. 

     During live shows I like to take a minute during a favourite song to listen carefully and really appreciate the singer.  Quite often it’s a once in a lifetime performance to hear your favourite artist in your home city and I want to see how it compares to every time you’ve heard the singer on the radio , iPod or watched them live on Youtube.  The crowd get the chance to experience the artist and see why they’re famous: in person, as it happens and for two hours they’re no longer remote icons in our ears.  Lana Del Rey is a singer and her live performances showcase her talent – a talent that is arguably increasingly rare in contemporary music.

     At most gigs, you have a vague dislike towards everyone else in the crowd – after all, they are literally standing in the way between you and your favourite singer.  At the SECC that night I never liked the look of those desperate hipster teens: clad in their denim armour, platform style Converse and even one sporting a ghetto-style gold chain.  They all must have been colour blind and stumbled out of the same Topman outlet.  Fashion crisis aside, my problem was the crowd had very poor concert etiquette and most seemed too immature to know how to stand properly at a gig.  Of course, I’m not the author of the ‘concert rule book’; but queue skipping, aggressive pushing and starting fights in the middle of a packed crowd will most likely be found in the ‘don’t’ section.

     Gigs are always cramped, but it’s unbearable when you can’t even move your hands and you’re pressed against people at all sides.  Every time Lana approached the front of the stage you were thrust forward by vain people pushing from behind.  Instead of appreciating the music, you spent most of the time apologising to the indignant people around you and trying not to fall over.  I managed to survive only because I’m tall; but there was a chance of somebody being seriously injured if they fell or felt claustrophobic.  Unfortunately, this meant that some of the songs were completely ruined including “Ride” – one of Lana’s most personal and captivating singles.  Perhaps the discomfort is the price paid for being so close to the stage and getting some good snaps but it has never been as chaotic at any gig I’ve been to before. 

     But the majority of people made it to the end to hear “National Anthem” a track very much inspired by the superpower USA and its capacity for love, glory and fortune; but, as already well expressed, it’s often a semblance covering a hollow and superfluous nation. It’s a signature track for the star even if its message isn’t entirely significant to us Scots.  But it just shows the international appeal that Glasgow has to the big stars: they want to bring their music and their message and share it with their Scottish fans.  If you were lucky enough to be in the front row and still standing then you will have surely got an autograph and photo with Lana because she went along the row at the end while the strings played out “National Anthem”.  By that point, however, the riotous crowd had seen us pushed back about five rows!  Lana was out of sight, but her melodies and lyrics have been playing out in my mind since.   
Words and pictures by Chris Park