In the North-Eastern segment of Adelaide's surrounding parklands, lies a park numbered 11. It is also known as Botanic Park, and it is filled with grass, trees, bats, and other park-related things, like shade; romance, and the sadness of Autumn.
16 January, 2019; and Botanic Park was an outdoor theater. On the massive, temporary stage; Florence Welch and her Machinery.
In the oppressive heat of an overcast day, where the temperature was closer to 50 celcius than not; some ten thousand or more people gathered to witness Florence and the Machine ply their craft.
Florence Welch, a Pre-Raphaelite muse - pale, golden, reddish hair, could have stepped out of a Millais, Delaroche, or Waterhouse theatrical portrait. Instead, she stepped out onto a stage into scorching conditions, powering into the opening track from the most recent album, June.
Live vocals are always a bit risky - especially when it is music recorded as precisely as that of Florence and the Machine, but there was studio quality performance on offer; with excellent flourishes that fed from the gathered crowd.
The performance was engaging, adequate, and powerful. The one thing it quickly proved was that this was Florence and the Machine. She, as a front-woman is simply irreplaceable, with other members of the band being "machinery" - and that was a well functioning machine.
In terms of organisation, the promoters have recieved criticism regarding the ticket sales for the event. General Admission was segregated into "front", and "rear", with a $40 price premium on front tickets. There was no "secondary" checkpoint to ensure only those with "front admission" gained access to the General Admission front area; which resulted in many disappointed concert goers.
Overall; this was an excellent performance, organisational issues aside. I found myself in a constant state of FOMO even though I was standing not too far back from the front. I do feel that Florence would be suited to a more intimate venue, with roaring, dedicated fans, as opposed to the timid cheers of thousands.
Next time she comes to Adelaide, it will probably be at Adelaide Oval. We don't have anywhere else that can hold enough people.
In terms of photography; I've never felt so powerless in knowledge. Lighting was generally excellent, but my positioning did not allow for any splendid shots, being a part of the crowd. No single shot was good enough as a stand alone, so instead, I've put together some of the best "snapshots" into the image below.
I don't feel like any of these shots are truly excellent, but I do hope they capture the drama, motion, and theatre of the concert.