Ellie Goulding Delivers Elegantly Rebellious Halcyon Show at Fillmore Miami Beach

Photo by Sayre Berman

Ellie Goulding
The Fillmore, Miami Beach
Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Better Than: Tears, fears and the heartbreak of young love.

How many singer-songwriters can boast a sold-out show for their first performance in Miami?

Well, we can't be sure. But we do know Ellie Goulding left no seat empty for her debut at the Fillmore Miami Beach.

Oh, and just so the haters know ... That is her real singing voice.

See also:
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The chart-climbing blonde beauty from Hereford, England (not London, as she noted on stage), gave fans an emotional and heartfelt performance of songs from both her debut album, Lights, and her latest release, Halcyon.

Photo by Sayre Berman

As it turns out, Miami is home to a lot of die-hard Goulding fans, and they let her know by singing along and screaming their lungs out from the word go.

She hit the demurely lit stage highlighted by a single spotlight, going right into it with Halcyon's opening track "Don't Say a Word." The audience sounded like a bunch of screaming girls at a heartthrob concert as Goulding beat on a small drum kit by the mike, backed by harmonic vocal tracks and a four-piece band on keys, drums, and guitars.

After playing through "Halcyon" and "Figure 8," the songstress finally addressed her adoring fans.

"Good evening everyone," she said as her acolytes roared. "This is my first show here and I'm so excited." She continued, beginning her next number and adding, "This song is about running away, and it's called 'Salt Skin.'"

Photo by Sayre Berman

Her vocal delivery was both honest and believable. She moved from one end of the stage to the other, pausing to sing to screaming pockets of fans who reached their arms toward the star. The pit was a constant sea of digital cameras and camera phone screens. Ellie seemed to relish the attention, taking time to ask the crowd members how they were feeling and sharing insight into her songs before beginning again.

Halfway through the set, her band left Goulding alone on the stage to work through a soft rendition of "Guns and Horses." She was then joined for "I Know You Care" by key player and guitarist "Fit Chris," whose nickname, Ellie explained, meant she had a thing for him. Ooh la la, indeed.

She took the crowd on an epic journey with peaks and valleys, awash in ever-changing mood lighting. She's a dichotomous figure. Everything about Ellie is elegantly rebellious, her melancholy songs are tinged with hope, and her sheer and shiny dress was paired with big black boots. She's almost like any other talented singing diva. But then again, her style is totally unique.