I was delighted to be back at History in Toronto so soon to see Aurora perform. I first found out about Aurora after hearing her as the ‘calling voice’ in Disney’s Frozen 2 where she is featured on the soundtrack’s song “Into the Unknown”. With my gear packed into my camera bag, a fresh note page opened up on my phone, and with a lot of curiosity I was extremely excited to see what Aurora would have to offer on her What Happened To The Earth? Tour.
With photographers filling the pit, fans pressed to the edge of the barricade, and the lights dimming, it was an easy signal to see that the opener BIIG PIIG was about to make their way on stage. Opening with their songs “4AM”, “Oh No”, and “Roses and Gold”, it was evident that BIIG PIIG’s music was specifically crafted to make everyone in attendance move and grove to each beat. I was intrigued to see her bassist putting down his instrument and grabbing a saxophone, playing, and dancing around BIIG PIIG’s every movement during the track “Perdida”. With soft vocals, but complimented with fun, bouncy instrumentals, BIIG PIIG took a moment to ask the crowd how they were doing. She noticed that the people listening to the music were holding space for her lyricism, I kind of laughed at this due to the ‘holding space’ meme that is currently trending on the internet due to the Wicked movie’s song “Defying Gravity.” Speaking about their debut album 11:11, which comes out February 7th, she noted that she has loved Toronto’s energy and that it has been nothing but good vibes since touching down. She was also excited to mention that she saw snow for the first time in years since arriving to the city. Progressing through a couple more tracks, BIIG PIIG thanked the crowd, and her team before closing with her song “Kerosene."
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With the stage decorated with white curtains and large cut outs of birds, featuring a reflective layout across the floor, it was only a matter of time before Aurora took to the stage. The lights flicked off and the beginning of “Churchyard” from her album Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1) started sounding out from the speakers. After the opening track, Aurora took a moment to connect with fans, listening carefully to what those from the crowd were shouting at her, and responding as best she could. This is something that I was impressed to see so soon in the show. She also spoke about how she has enjoyed being here in Canada so far, and has loved the people, food, and wished that everyone had been keeping warm in the colder weather. Progressing through track “Through the Eyes of a Child,” my jaw was almost on the floor when she performed an acapella of “The River” with a group of four back-up vocalists, giving Toronto a real taste of Nordic-folk music.
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One takeaway from Aurora’s personality that really stood out for me was her quick humour. When speaking, she would be so quick to make a joke, which from her genre of music, I totally wouldn’t have expected. She spoke about a time when she was little that she had a pet squirrel, she pretended to cry and reminded the crowd joking that it was only a friend. She talked about how the squirrel was hurt and came to her. The squirrel didn’t say much, but she took care of him, and once he was better, she let him go. She mentions how she didn’t see him for months, before returning to her and sitting on her shoulder, and then she killed him. She laughed again saying she was joking and didn’t kill him. She said that she remembered this squirrel because she noticed today how Toronto had a lot of them and it reminded her of him, sexually, he was her first and that she misses him. The crowd was laughing and clapping to her partially true story. Continuing with songs “Exist for Love,” “The Dark Dresses Lightly,” “The Blade,” and “Runaway”, I was truly taken aback by her vivid lighting, surreal backdrops, and her fast-paced movements around the stage. Seeing photos of Aurora since discovering her music, I wouldn’t have expected such humour, enriched visuals, and high energy, but I’m glad I was mistaken in my judgment.
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Finishing the main set with “Giving In to the Love” from her album The Gods We Can Touch, Aurora disappeared for a brief moment before returning to the stage to perform encore tracks “Cure For Me”, also from the album The Gods We Can Touch, “Running With the Wolves” from All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend, and closing the show with “Invisible Wounds” from her latest studio album, What Happened To The Heart? Thanking the crowd and leaving the stage, I was fully blown away by Aurora’s performance in Toronto on her What Happened To The Heart? Tour. Please, and I beg of you please, take the time to see this show if it is coming to a city near you, I promise you, you will be blown away just like I was. You can stream Aurora’s latest album What Happened To The Heart? Below on Spotify:
