Ellie Goulding and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra joined forces for an incredible one-night-only performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Wednesday, November 22. The legendary venue was filled with beautiful symphonies matched with Goulding’s exceptional vocals and all sorts of emotions that left the audience in awe.
Goulding made her Walt Disney Concert Hall debut unforgettable recreating a variety of hits and tracks from her lengthy discography into orchestral masterpieces. The performance is the final part of Goulding’s special run of four orchestral shows in the United States hitting New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. All performances combine her love of classical music and her distinguished career. Goulding has sold over 27 million albums and 218 million singles with 43 billion streams worldwide. She has also recently released her fifth studio album Higher Than Heaven on April 7 via Polydor Records.
Just a day before Thanksgiving, fans, friends, and family gathered to witness the English singer-songwriter’s immense talent. The show quickly kicked off as Conductor Derrick Skye indicated to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra to start, only a few seconds into the classical sounds did Goulding make her appearance from the left of the stage with no hesitation to begin singing. After a few back-to-back tracks Goulding addressed the crowd and shared her insecurities of being on stage referring to herself as “shy” and never knowing what to say between tracks. The sentiment quickly began to change for the singer as Skye and the crowd encouraged Goulding to get comfortable, including taking off her heels after she expressed her discomfort. It wasn’t until the latter half of the show that Goulding finally kicked off her heels as Skye quickly took off his shoes so she wouldn’t be the only one barefoot on stage.
The performance was split into two acts and an encore. The first act included songs such as “The Writer,” “New Heights” and “Flux.” A track that instantly stood out was “Burn” not only for the beautifully synchronized lit ceiling and Goulding’s marvelous vocals but also because a fan in the front rows shouted “What are we gonna do?” a few lines too early making everyone in the venue laugh before Goulding got to the final post-chorus. After a 15-minute intermission, the second act continued with “Close To Me,” “My Blood,” “Still Falling For You,” and “I Need Your Love.” Every single track was so well composed that Goulding forgot her cue for a few tracks as she too was mesmerized by the enchanting orchestra. The show slowed down a bit towards the end of the second act as it included Goulding’s cover of Elton John’s “Your Song” which reached No. 1 in the UK. The singer also covered Don McLean’s “Vincent (Starry Starry Night)” before closing out the second act with an upbeat “Anything Could Happen.”
After rushing off stage with her heels in hand, Goulding returned for an encore that brought the rave into the Walt Disney Concert Hall. She performed some of her bigger hits including “Lights” which had the energy amplified with the live orchestra pumping the rhythm throughout the venue getting everyone out of their seats. The show concluded with a final hit “Love Me Like You Do” which was matched with flashlights swung in the crowd and Skye dancing along to the beat.
Ellie Goulding’s voice is magnificent and her music expresses a variety of emotions, everything just seems to be amplified to another level when it is all backed with a full orchestra. In this case it was backed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra nonetheless and conducted by Skye who truly understood Goulding and her music making the event feel intimate, genuine and just overall captivating at every second. The event was an experience rather than a concert and offered loads to talk about during Thanksgiving dinner as those who attended could brag that the Ellie Goulding wished them a happy Thanksgiving. Let’s hope Goulding decides to add more of these special shows or announces a full tour with an orchestra in the future.
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