Live Reviews, News
Review: Sia at Terminal 5
Danielle Johnsen :: Friday, May 7th, 2010 12:30 pm
It was hard not to be completely in love with Sia when I left Terminal 5 last night. The Australian chanteuse entertained folks for an hour and a half at her NY stop from her ‘We Meaning You’ tour with her carefully crafted set list of classic heartwarming standards and dance pop ditties. In support of her forthcoming album “We Are Born” Sia treated the enthralled crowd with her perfect mixture of a diva vocal range and childlike charisma. With a backdrop of colorful macrame and craftacular knick knacks, she not only got the crowd moving on their feet, but encouraged their participation. At one point, the adorable singer, who sported a hand knit plastic dress and a pinwheel bubble backpack, asked the crowd, “So who’s going to heckle me?” And we quickly learned that this crowd was much more interested in singing along than poking fun.
A treasure to her fans, Sia is a rarity in the industry nowadays with her non-saccharine cuteness and her bizarre ability to remember nearly everyone she meets. Throughout the performance, she was calling out specific songs requested by fans via Twitter or just a run in on the street pre-show. You can see she loves being on stage, more than just to perform, but as a way to connect with the folks who regularly throw their support behind her. During her many gift receiving sessions at last night’s performance (something I haven’t seen done at a show in years), she showed her humble thanks for that support, especially when it came to presents for her beloved dog! If she wasn’t making the folks dance, she was bringing tears to our eyes and then making us do it all over again. One of the most interesting things I noticed last night was that her audience is truly a rainbow of folks, from the most emotional young girl fans to flamboyantly dressed guys to your standard finance dudes who didn’t seem to mind them being brought there - in fact it seemed they went willingly. It was refreshing to see a crowd not miss a step, a note and enjoy themselves, especially at this massive venue where I have seen a fight or tiff break out at every show I have been to there - that is until last night.
After the show, Sia chatted with a few press folks, like myself, and her charisma carried over in leaps and bounds. Her enthusiasm for her fans didn’t seem to waver and her quirky behavior was a treat to witness firsthand. She took tons of photos with fans, including celebrities like Joan Jett who seemed to be just as taken by the songstress as I was. When I overheard her say that she makes sure dog walkers, boiled eggs and candy were on her rider, I knew I found my new favorite artist. So, if you aren’t on the Sia bandwagon yet, check her out live and try to deny her sheer charismatic powers. “We Are Born” is currently available for pre-order and hits shelves on June 22nd. Check out Sia’s video for her single ‘You’ve Changed’ from her forthcoming album below.
