Laufey fans weren’t afraid to get soaked in the rain and smile through the pain for her sold-out concert at The Wilbur Oct. 29. Decked out in their finest witch fits and Mary Janes, Lauvers, as her supporters are called, formed a line around the corner of Tremont Street, waiting for the historic theater to open its doors.
Laufey recently emerged as one of Generation Z’s most popular artists. In September, she released her second studio album “Bewitched,” for which her North American and European tours are named. The album features viral songs like “From The Start,” and a collaboration with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra for “California and Me,” a dreamy yet eerie ballad about heartache and moving on from a relationship.
As Lauvers entered the sold-out theater seating 1,200 guests, a sense of excitement buzzed through the floor seats and mezzanine — and even through the massive merch line spanning the first and second floors. When asked if this was the norm for The Wilbur, an usher replied, “No, it’s just like this for Laufey.”
The show opened with a set by Adam Melchor, a singer-songwriter originally from New Jersey. Like Laufey, his music is a hybrid of various genres — indie, folk and pop. Melchor stunned the audience with his voice and acoustic guitar, spinning stories of childhood memories and melodrama into heartfelt and moving songs.
He alluded to the set up of The Wilbur as a comedy club, cracking jokes between songs as he explained the inspiration behind them — a tree falling on the car of his ex who dumped him the day before or his parents’ nonchalant reaction to their neglected Chevy being stolen, among other fantastic accounts. Released this October, Melchor performed “Serotonin,” “Peach” and “Adelaide” from his newest EP, “Fruitland,” evoking universal feelings of longing and love.
After Melchor finished his set, the packed theater eagerly awaited the main act. Soon enough, the lights went dim and the audience went silent. The band accompanying Laufey arrived first on stage, consisting of a string quartet, drummer, bassist, keyboardist and backing vocals — including Melchor. One could make out the shape of Laufey’s various guitars set at the front of the stage in addition to her signature cello.
The haunting melody of “Fragile” began and the singer-songwriter appeared on stage. The low lights and fog created a hazy blue atmosphere and the crowd erupted with applause.
Once she finished the song, an echo of “I love you, Laufey!” could be heard throughout the theater. She stopped for a moment to thank the audience for their love and support, and noted that Boston was her “extra special show” — Laufey graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2021 and wrote many of her early works while living in Boston.
She then continued with her set, the atmosphere electric yet whimsical. Laufey disappeared for a moment before “Dreamer,” an upbeat epitome of jazz and imagination. Staying true to the theme of her tour, Laufey reappeared with a witch hat and dazzled the crowd with small nods towards the audience and a playful demeanor.
A striking difference between Melchor and Laufey was their confidence on stage. It was clear Melchor felt more self-assured of his stage presence and didn’t stick to a script when talking about his set or interacting with the audience. Melchor debuted his first song in 2017 and his vast experience in playing live music has clearly made him comfortable in front of crowds.
Contrarily, Laufey is still getting used to her rising fame. She seemed to shy away from moving around the stage, instead preferring to stand center stage with her guitar, looking off into the distance of the theater. Her nerves seemed to get the best of her when playing the beginning notes of “California and Me” on the piano after realizing she had momentarily forgotten the lyrics and restarted the song.
Nonetheless, Laufey’s ability to capture the audience’s hearts prevailed as she transitioned from one hit to the next, playing guitar, piano and cello. A notable addition to her set was “Nocturne (Interlude),” a piece she composed herself for the piano, its melody featuring elements from each song from “Bewitched.” Unlike the rest of the album, this piece had no lyrics and showcased Laufey’s spellbinding composition skills.
The show seemingly concluded with a surprise appearance from Prazul Wokhlu, a Harvard student whose viral TikTok covering “From the Start” on the saxophone was noticed by Laufey. The crowd sang along to the song backed by an electrifying combination of saxophone, drums, strings, keys and vocals, continuing to cheer even after Laufey said her goodbyes.
Moments after everyone exited the stage, the singer-songer popped her head out from behind the curtain and returned for an encore to sing the nostalgically empowering “Letter to My 13 Year Old Self.” Laufey then revealed she plays a song at each concert that no other city would hear — for Boston, this was “Street By Street,” a song she had written while studying at Berklee. The night ended with the lyrics, “Street by street, breath by breath / From the Back Bay to the sky / I’m taking back my city / I’m taking back my life.”
