Florence & The Machine Live At The O2

After breaking her foot in November, Florence & The Machine finally play the second night in London for their UK and give fans a show that was well worth the wait.

I remember watching Reading Festival highlights on BBC Three back in 2012 as Florence & The Machine played in the pouring rain and performed to thousands of people on the Main Stage. It was an amazing performance and I said to myself I have to see them live one day. Over a decade on, I got my chance to see them back in January.

Before all this, Florence & The Machine are well known for being one of the best British live bands around today and for giving their all. With the tour called "The Dance Fever" tour, it was no surprise that lead singer Florence Welch would dance her way through the set but maybe a bit too hard on their first show at The 02 on November 18th 2022, as Florence broke her foot on stage. Even though she was bleeding all over the stage and her crew had to wipe it all off the stage, Florence finished the show which is a testament to her determination as an artist and as a performer as well as how much of a professional she is on stage. This however meant that she could not perform the rest of the tour meaning the next night was postponed. My friends and I were unsure when the band would be able to do the second night but to our surprise, She rebooked the show for February, the earliest she would recover from her injury. Would she have to hold back dancing around the stage? Would the wait be worth it?

The show started with two brilliant songs from their latest album 'Dance Fever'. 'Heaven Is Here' and 'King' was accompanied by the reveal of the set up of the stage which had a massive light-up square hovering the stage with chandeliers and candles behind Florence which gave us a whimsical feel to the show which would be a theme for the evening. It must be said that some of the lighting was beautiful and really immersed you into the experience of a Florence show adding to the whimsical feel throughout. The gig went up a gear as the band played 'Ship the Wreak'. suddenly the whole of the O2 exploded with energy and everyone on the floor and in the stands was jumping up and down while Florence ran across the stage and bounced with the crowd. It was an extraordinary moment which left shivers down my spine. It's easy to see how Florence broke her foot with the amount of running and dancing she did on stage, but she didn't care. She was back and all she wanted to do was perform with her band who could fault her for it? As the song ended my friend turned to me and told me how good that part of the show was, and I have to agree.

The setlist had a lot of songs from 'Dance Fever' which had cemented their place on Florence & The Machine's setlist for years to come. Songs such as 'Dream Girl Evil and 'Dafodill' were some of the standouts of the show with the former seeing Florance climb the front barrier and be held up by the crowd as she belted out the chorus. The band also played some of their greatest hits from the last decade and a half. A huge roar of appreciation could be heard when the piano for 'Dog Days' started playing. Florence would address the crowd halfway through telling them to put their phones away and telling the crowd "It's about you, and the energy in this room" which you can't argue with, to be honest. The song then would kick back in with everyone in the O2 bouncing, enjoying the moment and forgetting anything going on with their lives. These are the moments which is why I love live music. Escaping your day-to-day life to immerse yourself in a show that Florence helps you do effortlessly. It was an incredible moment and sent shiverers down my spine. Many of Florence & The Machine's hits were played such as 'Shake It Out', 'Cosmic Love' and 'Kiss With A Fist' just to name a few with this all culminating with 'Rabbit Heat (Raise It Up)'. While there were some big songs missing from the setlist (Looking at you 'Spectrum'), the setlist was certainly a good one, to say the least with a mix of the classics and new songs pleasing all the fans in the arena.

I would definitely say be said that lead singer Florence Welch is quite possibly one of the best singers I have ever seen in concert. Her beautiful vocals, which at times were almost operatic at times, are seriously impressive. I was amazed as she hit every high note which was hit perfectly every time. It's something you can't really appreciate until you watch it for yourself on stage. Florence does this all while she runs and dances around on stage and even at one point in the show through the crowd. Florence also is brilliant at crowd interactions as well. She joked constantly about her previously mentioned injury and even started throwing plastic legs in the crowd as "Sacrifices". She also was afraid to share with the crowd her nerves about being back on stage and told the crowd how their energy was helping her get through the set, which was met with cheers and applause from across the O2. Being able to see one of the greatest vocal talents from the last decade perform at her very best was certainly a privilege and something that I'm so happy to finally check off my bucket list.

As comebacks go, Florence & The Machine's O2 show after an injury was something of a miracle. There is no way Welch should have been on stage dancing the night away but here she was. Singing and danced with grace and perfection while her fans sang and danced along with her. Everyone was just happy to be at the show and get to see one of the best live acts in recent times. It was everything that 14-year-old me wanted to see and to answer my questions at the start, Florence did not hold back, and it was certainly worth the wait.