On Sept. 30 and Oct. 3, New Zealand singer and songwriter Lorde performed in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, respectively, wowing crowds as a part of her “Ultrasound” world tour. The ongoing fourth tour supports the release of Lorde’s fourth studio album, “Virgin,” but includes songs from her previous three albums. Several State High students attended either concert and expressed the detail-oriented and chronological interwovenness of the performances.
For the Philadelphia concert, Lorde performed at the Wells Fargo Center, and for Pittsburgh, at the Petersen Events Center. The setlist for both included a relatively even mix of songs from all four of her studio albums, spanning the years 2013 to 2025.
“I really wanted to go [to the concert] with my best friend … because Lorde has a lot of songs about being 17, and we’re 17 and seniors and best friends, so we kind of thought it was like worlds colliding,” senior Zoë Salter, who attended the Philadelphia concert, said. “I’ve loved her music for a long time, and my friend has loved her music for even longer.”
The saga begins with Lorde’s first album, “Pure Heroine,” released when she was just 16 years old, and is characterized by hits like “Royals” and “Ribs.” Following “Pure Heroine,” Lorde released “Melodrama” in 2017 and “Solar Power” in 2021.
Lorde’s newest album, “Virgin,” which was released on June 27, explores themes of vulnerability, body politics, gender identity and aging into womanhood, including direct references to her previous albums. The “Ultrasound” tour supports these ties through the connectedness of Lorde’s setlist. During the Pittsburgh concert, Lorde spoke to the crowd about her journey into womanhood, reflecting on previous albums and the authenticity of “Virgin” to her.
“[The speech] she made at the concert was about being herself and how in our society, she thinks that she can’t be viewed as who she truly is, like the man of the year [referencing the song “Man of the Year”], and not just the woman of the year,” sophomore Genevieve Lemay, who attended the Pittsburgh concert, said. “I was tearing up.”
The concert began with the openers: in Philadelphia, the concert featured the band “Blood Orange,” and in Pittsburgh, “Chanel Beads.” The second opener for both was artist The Japanese House, an English indie pop musician.
At 9 p.m., Lorde came onstage, entering through the floor as the intro to the first song, “Hammer,” played. The bright, dynamic lights and Lorde’s commanding stage presence immediately had fans up and dancing.
“Her music is so catchy, and just fun to listen to, and I feel like you can dance and sing along to it,” sophomore Arden Avery, who attended the Pittsburgh concert with Lemay, said. “But also, she adds to that by having messages about being herself and being authentic, and I feel like that resonates with me, and I can resonate with her as a person.”
Standout factors of the “Ultrasound” tour are Lorde’s unique performances for each track; each song featuring a different “bit” relating to the message of the song. For example, during the performance of “Broken Glass,” which dissects Lorde’s struggle with an eating disorder, Lorde yanks at the belt she wears, symbolizing her internal desire to keep losing weight, eventually pulling it off and throwing it at the end of the song.
Another key performance came in the “Melodrama” track “Supercut.” “Supercut” is about romanticizing memories of a past relationship, specifically the illusion of a relationship highlight reel- or supercut, in contrast to reality. Lorde brings out a treadmill and runs on stage, picking up pace in tandem with the beat. This performance likely signifies the inability to escape the past, no matter how fast one runs away.
“When I listen to [Lorde’s] music, I definitely listen to the lyrics more than anything. So I like Lorde’s music because I really love her lyricism, and I love singing along to her songs. I feel like the themes of adolescence, and confusion, and womanhood resonate the most with me,” Salter said.
During her second-to-last song, “David,” Lorde came down from the stage and slowly walked through the crowd at the front of the venue. While singing, she made her way to the back of the venue, climbing onto a smaller, makeshift stage. There, she performed her last song, “Ribs,” from her first album, “Pure Heroine.” The song is a nostalgic one for many, and concluding with it was, as many say, a perfect end to the performance that seemed to span close to fifteen years of Lorde’s life and music.
