Carly Rae Jepsen graced the stage at the Greek Theater on Tuesday to a crowd of nearly 6,000 fans. Performing as part of “The So Nice Tour”, this is Jepsen’s first tour since her last appearance in Los Angeles three years ago.
With fans dressed in merchandise from past concerts and custom-printed T-shirts with song lyrics on them, excitement was buzzing for the night ahead. Most might know Jepsen from her 2012 hit “Call Me Maybe,” but her three studio albums and EPs since then have garnered legions of dedicated fans.
Alternative R&B singer Empress Of opened the night at 8 p.m. Supported by a DJ and with four dazzling mirrors on stage behind her, the L.A. native opened up with “Save Me,” the title track from her latest EP. Empress Of performed a high-energy 45-minute set, continuously dancing across the stage. The loudest cheers emerged when she sang ”Wild Girl,” her 2019 dance single with Kito.
At 9 p.m., lights dimmed to reveal a large circular screen on stage. A large, anthropomorphic moon glowed to life on the screen.
“I offer you a safe place to feel whatever it is you need to feel. This night is for you,” the moon coaxed. And feel we did. Jepsen started off the night with dance-pop anthem “This Love Isn’t Crazy,” backed by celestial set pieces of clouds and stars. Jepsen’s shimmering dress reflected off the stage lights, transporting the audience into the dreamy night sky with showers of confetti.
Despite having a vast discography ranging from mainstream hits to indie favorites, Jepsen performed with equal parts passion and theatrics. Crowd favorites like “I Really Like You” and “Call Me Maybe” had the whole venue singing along. Jepsen was not shy in pulling from lesser-known tracks as well, like “Cry” from EMOTION Side B and “Comeback” from Dedicated Side B, while still engaging the crowd with her effervescent vocals and dance moves.
Jepsen radiated energy and never stood still. Dancing across the stage and up and down the stairs, she only stopped to take pictures with fans.
Throughout the night, themes of love in Jepsen’s music resonated with the audience, and she delivered them with catchy instrumentation, sharp songwriting and a knowing smile.
“I’ve got a beach house in Malibu / And I’m probably gonna hurt your feelings,” she sang in “Beach House,” an all-too-relatable dance track about the struggles of online dating. “I won’t want to embarrass anyone here, but let out a little sigh if you’ve ever been friendzoned before,” she said before launching into “Your Type,” a song about, well, the friend zone.
The crowd erupted into cheers when Jepsen reminded the audience of the release of her new, full-length album on Friday. She teased the audience with the performance of an unreleased song, “Go Find Yourself Or Whatever.” The bluesy guitar piece is about “that wanderer” who breaks your heart. The crowd sat down to listen to the introspective and melancholic song in a short break from the upbeat songs thus far.
After a quick outfit change to a metallic jumpsuit, Jepsen brought out a special guest, Rufus Wainwright. They performed the disco-inspired duet “The Loneliest Time,” the title track from her upcoming album. Jepsen made special mention of her “highly supportive” band, who even put on foil costumes of moons and stars to match the space-themed music video.
As evidenced by her performance, Carly Rae Jepsen is an artist who knows how to have fun. A longstanding tradition of her concerts is for a fan to hand her a sword as she sings “Cut To The Feeling.” This closing song of the concert brought the crowd jumping up and down to its catchy, synth-pop melody as confetti rained from the sky.
The nearly 90-minute show was an unforgettable, energetic night of fun. Jepsen performed non-stop with such vigor and passion that it was just too hard not to dance and sing along. If love is a lonely road, then we can rest easy knowing that we have the comfort of Jepsen’s music to go along with it.
“The So Nice Tour” continues through Nov. 5 in the United States and Canada.
“The Loneliest Time” releases on Oct. 21 with Interscope Records