Who’s ready for a game of ‘Did it suck or are we just not cool?’ On Sunday night, Indie-pop It Girl Sky Ferreira took to the Sydney Opera House to perform her debut 2013 album Night Time, My Time for Vivid Live. Ten years after the last time the 31-year-old toured Australia, it was a huge deal that she was back Down Under, playing the tunes that shaped our Tumblr-infused youth.
But for many, the show left a lot to be desired. Punters took to social media to report that the starlet was 80 minutes late to the show, and then when she emerged, she could barely be seen — playing the gig on a dimly lit stage, shrouded in a cloak.
It’s not the first time she’s copped flack for issues like these on her latest tour either, with one of her Manchester gigs being dubbed the “Willy Wonka experience of gigs” by fans in the UK.
Her Sydney gig has already garnered headlines and gained some negative viral traction for the unusual nature of the performance, but according to some fans in the audience, the enigmatic pop star gave them exactly what they wanted — and more.
Bianca Davino, a noted Sky Ferreira fan and fellow musician, confirmed that the artist was late but it was to be expected.
“Sky has said multiple times that her shows start at nine or after,” Bianca told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“Honestly, I feel it was on Vivid or The Opera House to provide set times because they would’ve known this.
“Also, what other show ‘starts’ at the time on the ticket? If a ticket says the event starts at eight, I wouldn’t expect the act to go on until 10.”
Bianca — whose Instagram handle is literally @freeskyferreira14 — feels that the rhetoric around the show is feeding into the same trope that has followed the artist since she garnered acclaim in 2013 and spent almost a decade fighting her record label.
“I kinda hate that everyone is playing into the ‘she’s late and messy’ trope now because this comeback is all about her reclaiming her power in the industry that has quite literally almost killed her.”
As for the show itself? Bianca says it blew her out of the water.
“It was stunning,” she stated.
“The light show, the shadows, her flawless silhouette — it was performance art!!!
“She belted every note, the band were incredibly tight and HEAVY!!! The synths quite literally pummelled me into a different dimension. The set list was succinct and yet another reminder of how influential and experimental the album was and is.”
Despite the gig gaining glowing, positive reviews from diehard fans like Binaca, those who were dipping their toes back into Ferreira’s music found the experience confusing.
Another concertgoer, who admitted that they bought tickets after being a fan of Ferreira in high school, seeing Ferreira perform cloaked and in dim lighting was not at all what she expected.
“If you’re not a die-hard fan you might not know she performs in darkness so I think there should have been some mentions of what to expect on the Sydney Opera House website,” she said.
On social media, attendees have echoed similar sentiments. Noting that she was amazing when she was performing, but the overall performance was a bit of a mindfuck if you didn’t know what to expect from the star.
Ultimately, the vibe amongst fans seems to be pretty positive. The girls who get it, get it.
But if you’re not a girl who gets it or a die-hard fan, you’re left feeling confused, bamboozled and extremely uncool. Maybe it’s my own high school trauma talking but it really does feel like 2013 all over again.
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