How I would create Lorde's Ultrasound tour
Cultural production & placemaking via music from one mystical '96 baby to another.
To practice my creative strategy skills and push myself out towards the edge, I’ve imagined my own concept for Lorde’s Ultrasound tour, which is set to begin later this year following the successful release of her new album Virgin last month.
I approached this through a lens of:
Architecture as experiential design / visual storytelling to communicate the rich themes of Lorde’s songwriting
Experimental theater by one actor —> immersive experience for an audience.
I’ll explain what I mean by that before we get into it. Creative directors and cultural producers can have different starting points when planning a show or project. Some come from the artist management side. Others could be from a marketing background. I’ve chosen to use my background in urban planning & design as my first lens and entry point. When I listen to Lorde’s music, I am always able to visualize the song taking place somewhere (real or imaginary) because her lyricism is so descriptive. I want the audience to feel that sense of place, too. So my first thought process was to translate the broader album themes into spatial design elements like an architect or interior designer or set designer would do. The set design is, of course, intrinsically linked to the overarching story that the tour will tell, creating narrative and thematic cohesion.
The second lens through which I did this exercise was that of “experimental theater by one actor, creating an immersive experience for an audience of many.” I have been inspired recently by the performance of Sarah Snook in her one-woman show on Broadway, The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as the production’s use of technology to create a unique and immersive view from any seat. For an artist like Lorde, I would not want to suggest the use of a lot of background dancers or intense choreo routines. Her best performances are solo, spontaneous, and stripped back. I’ve attempted to balance the scale of a large tour production with these simpler performance elements of a one-actor show in mind, and kept central the desire to truly IMMERSE the audience as a participant in the performance. There is no show without Ella, but there is also no show without an audience. What a cool tension. I want both Ella and the audience to feel that this is part of an experiment. Some production risks need to be taken on a tour to push the industry forward, and Lorde is definitely a boundary-pushing artist.
I split the concept into three acts / themes:
ACT 1 - POST-TECH SUBURBS — takes place in a post-digital world and also recreates a sense of suburban nostalgia that was present in Lorde’s debut album. We’re where it all began, but it’s different now. We’re different now. This one could also be called HARDWARE/WEAR and visually question how we are wired as humans, and how we co-exist (and either possess or lack bodily autonomy) in a not-so-futuristic metaverse.
There large LED video screen is the main stage backdrop but it creates a scenic illusion of a smaller LED screen as a suburban billboard (this is filled with a tracking shot camera following Ella around stage). I want to expose all stage wiring, much like her surprise performance at Glasto.
The first key performance moment involves her surrounded by dozens of microphones and live mixing a song. I want the audience to feel a part of her creative process as if they are sitting in the living room of her place in the city as she begins this journey.
ACT 2 - INTO THE CLEAR BLUE — the circle of technology and exposed wiring around her begins to loosen its grip as she progresses through the set into Act 2. The set design is tempting her closer to the edge if she is willing to go out to it. Now the stage plays with round shapes as it breaks from more of its earlier squareish, horizontal geometry. The color goes from dark to clear blue and gradually there are more voices and echoes building up to a climactic performance of Clearblue, one of the album’s most penetrating songs.
The second key performance moment involves a dramatic/theatrical live X-ray (or a pre-recorded video illusion of one) while she lies on an operating table in a glass box. Lorde literally put an X-ray of her pelvis on the album cover. I think the fans would love to see an (age/audience-appropriate) acted-out version of this in the performance. It’s also a subtle nod to the Melodrama stage box, which I remember so vividly.
ACT 3 - FULL TRANSPARENCY — now we’re feeling free. There is a visual release of all tech and wiring. The stage is clean, simple, transparent-like. We’ve moved into the final stretches of the album, reckoning with and healing all of the old Ella’s. She still wears smoke like a wedding veil and yet she is a GRWM. This part of the show is light, free, and the audience and artist have now had a transcendental moment together. They made it out on the edge.
FINALE - PUNCH THE MIRROR —> BROKEN GLASS — the final performance moment is visualized in a pre-recorded video while she sings live. Lorde finally punches the mirror. When the glass breaks, it releases in sync with confetti in a powerful moment of self-liberation. But it can’t just be any confetti. I want it to by shiny, shimmery, reflective of self when you pick it up. I’m inspired by the stage at the Dries Van Noten SS25 show.
Okay, those are my thoughts, and that is my creative concept for the Ultrasound tour. I will be so lucky when I get to see it in person at Barclays Center in December, right before my birthday. Oh, did I mention Ella and I are both ‘96 babies? She’s one month older than me. I can’t wait to see what she and her team create for this show! Maybe some of my imaginary ideas will be in there, or at least they will be when I watch it through my eyes.
One day, I would like to be trusted with bringing an artist’s vision to life spatially by collaborating with them as a creative strategist and director. There is so much more that goes into creating a tour, such as assembling the right teams, subconsultants, contractors, and liaising with the artists’ management — and it takes great skill to make sure that everyone understands the vision and executes!
I am also curious to brainstorm urban activation strategies for an album’s rollout. There can be many ways to engage the public realm as a music artist. I also want to think about how one night at a concert can go beyond those four walls. Our cities need a boost of culture, and understanding how to conceptualize and implement emerging cultural production strategies, I believe, is an element of urban placemaking!
If you’re curious about any of the above, just hit the reply button and drop me a note, or write a comment. If you liked this, please hit the heart button below or forward to a friend — it goes a long way in helping me grow this space. Thank you for reading til the end! 2009-me’d be so impressed!
ECF
Wow! I want to go to THIs concert 👏🏽