As I heard the signature 10 rhythmic claps of “Lover Girl” echo around Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, I realized that Iceland’s recent favorite pop star had reached a new level.
Laufey held her penultimate concert of the U.S. leg of the “A Matter of Time Tour” in Philadelphia on Oct. 24. Despite a bit of sniffles at the beginning of the show that cast some doubt, it was immediately removed. The show ended up being chock-full of heartwarming and emotionally crushing moments alike.
After finishing the biggest hit of the album-titled tour to raucous applause, she launched into the intro from her previous album. The rich, five-part harmony from “Dreamer” filled the room, and it erupted in approval.
She went into a few more hits across her catalog in the first act of the show, including “Falling Behind,” a bouncy bossa nova track, “Silver Lining,” a smooth guitar and string-led waltz and my personal favorite, “Bored.” When I saw her for the first time in May 2024, this song absolutely blew me away, especially the crescendo in the bridge.
Laufey also made sure to thank her opener, Suki Waterhouse, who is a fantastic musician in her own right. I was only familiar with her megahit, “Good Looking,” but it ended up being one of my favorite songs of the night. The full band completely elevated this song and the vocals sound just as good in person. It was the only way to end the first set.
After “Too Little, Too Late” and a quick instrumental interlude of songs from “Bewitched,” the arena was whisked to Laufey’s jazz club. The band was stripped down to just a piano, drum kit and upright bass, while she sang and danced around the small clock-shaped B-stage jutting toward the middle of the floor.
The band played swinging versions of more classic songs like “Valentine,” “Fragile” and “While You Were Sleeping.” Before my favorite song from this section, Laufey brought up the day’s best dressed as the Philly Phanatic! While the nation’s biggest mascot was a fun guest, I was hoping for someone with a bit more musical prowess (and I’m even more jealous of the cities that got Role Model and PinkPantheress).
Laufey got behind the piano for “Let You Break My Heart Again.” Flashlights like twinkling stars popped up all around me as I joined the chorus of the crowd, which ended up being one of the better slow moments of the whole performance.
After a few more “A Matter of Time” songs, she went into her most recent bossa nova anthem, “Mr. Eclectic.” This last section was full of heavy emotional hitters. “Castle in Hollywood” got an extra synthesizer in the live version that really fleshed it out, in my opinion. In addition to one of her best vocal performances of the night, this one was smashed out of the park.
“Promise” and “Goddess” were both equal parts devastating and beautiful, and great foils of each other. “Promise” is about how Laufey makes a promise not to contact the boy she’s in love with, even though it’s eating at her. The haunting line, “It hurts to be something / It’s worth to be nothing with you,” still cuts to my core every time I hear it.
“Goddess” is all about managing unrealistic standards in her relationship, with the line “I’m a goddess on stage / Human when we’re alone,” hitting the nail on the head. The outro of this song stands out as one of the best musical moments in her whole discography, only aided by the camera orbiting her piano and big light pops on moments of emphasis. I think there are a few ways you can read the ending of the song, but I choose to take a hopeful one. I think the experience in the song eventually helps her find her own self-worth, a more satisfying answer to “Promise”’s question.
“Tough Luck” and “From The Start” made for a fantastic climax toward the end of the setlist. During the penultimate chorus of the former song, she spun on the hands of the B-stage clock before joining her backup dancers for the most dramatic finale of any of her songs.
“From The Start” is by far Laufey’s biggest song, with nearly 900 million streams on Spotify alone, which means the audience got really loud right before the grand finale. It felt like the whole arena shook during her iconic chorus.
As we approached the very end, she came out for two encore songs, including the surprise rotating song, which ended up being “Questions For The Universe,” a song that she rarely plays live. The quiet piano was really soothing for such an existential song.
The last one was the same as when I first saw her a year and a half ago, “Letter to My 13 Year Old Self.” Laufey expressed her gratitude to nearly a nauseating degree during the show, but this song tells more than any of her other words can. It’s raw and perfectly authentic, a trait that many in the music industry have been chasing, but one that Laufey absolutely personifies.
