Martes 23 Feb 2010, 16:01
Kids, with parents in tow, were queuing right around the block for Monday night's Owl City show but there was only one question for Lights' fans - would she play? Struck down with illness a few days before, Lights was unable to perform for Newcastle and Birmingham, so the fact that she was in Manchester at all was good news.
Opening the show right on time with The Listening, Lights played a full set - albeit ending acousticly with special performances of River and The Last Thing On Your Mind. She struggled with the higher notes but her determination to finish every song was inspiring; how many artists, having completely lost their voice two days previously, could still put on an excellent performance? Still smiling, even though it was evidently difficult for her to continue (especially during the higher parts of February Air), Lights picked up her acoustic guitar to close the set. Unfortunately, despite the fact that she could have refused to play and instead rested up for the European leg of the tour, not all of the crowd was as appreciative as perhaps they ought to have been - it never fails to surprise me how many people show their lack of respect for acoustic performances by talking over them.
Following the opener, Adam Young, otherwise known as The Postal Service - sorry - Owl City, had a lot to live up to. As his band assembled onstage, including a string section of a cellist and violinist, it was unclear whether he was going to take centre stage or hide toward the back. As the strings heralded the introduction of Umbrella Beach, Young headed out to rapturous applause from the youngest crowd I've seen yet.
Young flitted between the deer-in-headlights expression and a giant grin all night, almost as if he was unsure of how to react to his reception. It wasn't difficult to picture him crouched nerd-like and alone over his keyboards in his bedroom, even when he picked up his guitar and thanked the audience. Obviously shy and not one for banter, Young rushed through most of Ocean Eyes.
In an odd move for a band that have a recent UK #1 single, Owl City situate Fireflies towards the middle of the setlist, which made the encore of Hello Seattle feel almost redundant and anticlimactic. Much of the crowd, too, seemed to lose interest after they'd heard the one track they'd travelled to hear, exhibiting the potential for Young's Owl City to be a one-hit wonder - a shame, considering the quality of his performance. Vocally, he was spot on, if a little saccarine. If he is to perform consistently at this level, though, he'll need to override the lost little boy and connect more with his crowd because children, well, they have notably short attention spans.