Review: AURORA’s What Happened to the Earth? Tour at MGM Music Hall at Fenway
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY CATHERINE KUBICK ☆
Photos By Campbell Parish for The Luna Collective
WE ARE SO MUCH MORE SIMILAR THAN WE THINK AS HUMAN BEINGS- said AURORA as she welcomed her Boston crowd to her What Happened to the Earth? tour at MGM Fenway.
The Norwegian singer offered her American audience a tender embrace and demonstrated a poignant awareness of the social fractures present in the wake of an emotionally turbulent presidential election in a brief speech made just two songs into her set: “I hope you don’t lose faith in your people, in your country, and in each other—you are one… even if it doesn’t feel like it.”
The concert was rung in with a promise that the night would serve as an escape from the stress and fear of the world, and offer a space where music could offer a few hours of connectivity in a divided country that sorely needs it– a promise that was delivered upon with grace and intention.
The percussive intro song “Churchyard” demanded the audience’s attention, leaving them hypnotized by AURORA’s spellbinding, siren-like vocals, she offered a sincere moment of tenderness as she introduced a hidden gem from her older discography: “Through the Eyes of a Child”. She prefaced the acoustic song by underlining the importance of reconnecting with childlike innocence and unlearning the adult tendency to fear and hate what we don’t understand.
“World is covered by our trails / Scars we cover up with paint / Watch them preach in sour lies / I would rather see this world through the eyes of a child / Through the eyes of a child”
These acoustic moments let AURORA’s voice and lyrics shine, ringing out crystalline clear, her words reverberating gently and deeply, transforming the concert hall into some mystical and undiscovered forest, as she exchanges the intense strobe lights for a simple warm orange glow.
This tender space that she creates could be felt in songs like “Conflict of the Mind”, which explored themes of familial turmoil, and “Exist for Love” a song that left a special mark on a couple in the audience who had gotten engaged in the pit, to which AURORA screeched in excitement and rained well wishes upon them.
Songs like “Runaway" and “The Seed” emerge in the latter portion of the show, and dive deep into some of the humanitarian issues that resonate deeply for the singer. She emotionally dedicated Runway to the indigenous people of the world who have been removed from their native lands and homes. “The Seed” serves as a heart-pumping anthem that resounds to remind the audience that we share this planet with countries plagued by war and a natural world that is slowly dying at human hands:
“Just like the seed / I'm chasing the wonder / I unravel myself / All in slow motion / You cannot eat money, oh no / You cannot eat money, oh no / When the last tree has fallen / And the rivers are poisoned / You cannot eat money, oh no”
An evening with AURORA is a captivating fusion of art and activism, blending moments of musical ecstasy with the singer's unmistakable presence—her signature twirls, spellbinding hand movements, and electrifying electro-pop flair. At the heart of her album What Happened to the Heart? lies a powerful plea: a call for humanity for humanity to embrace greater compassion—toward nature, the world, and ourselves.
