Christine and the Queens create memorable night at Showbox SoDo
It had been a couple of years since the last time Christine and the Queens came through Seattle and along with their second album, Chris, fans were lucky enough to share their US tour kickoff night at Showbox SoDo. The French pop phenom has been turning heads since the release of her debut and it looks like she is still creating her own unique path while crushing industry gender norms.
Once it was time for the main act to start her set, the dancers took the floor and shortly after Héloïse Letissier stepped out smiling. She was full of energy and ready to put on a memorable show for everyone attending. Wearing black pants with a red button up shirt that was open enough to see her black bra, the “Girlfriend” singer took control of the space and ran it the whole night.
After sharing a few songs with her dancers who did a phenomenal job with her, she stood all alone in a spotlight playing a few of her slow jams. “Paradis Perdus” was one of the highlights early on as the room fell silent to hear her heartfelt words which were clear as mountain water. We had noticed that her voice sounded exactly the same as on the record the first time we caught her but witnessing it again was so overwhelming.
She moved on after that with popular tracks “iT” and “Tilted,” which became a massive dance party on stage and on the crowd floor. The way they freely sway and move on stage is so interesting to watch as they bring this show, which looks completely impromptu but it’s actually not. You just feel free to follow them and comfortable enough to express what you want in the moment.
Letissier is even more confident and sure of herself than before standing strong and conducting the show she wants. She makes a strong statement for herself and for those who are in need of someone to look up to and feel proud of who they are. The new tattoos on each of her forearms help emphasize that with one saying ‘We accept you’ and the other ‘One of us.’
The show feels like you perhaps stepped into the early 90s in Europe but it does feel good to remember that era and you notice her strong liking of Michael Jackson and Prince in her performance. After “Nuit 17 a 52” which was an incredible a cappella shared with the audience, she followed with a short impromptu outro of Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror.”
When she stepped away for her encore we noticed movement towards the merch stand where there was a raised platform stage and sure enough after a few moments she made it there. With just a small light on her she played a moving “Saint Claude,” that was also accompanied by slow movements that expressed her mood and sentiment of the words.
After that was done solo she shared that this was her last song and that it was more a lullaby to send us off for the night. This was a cute joke as she and her dancers made their way into the crowd dancing to “Intranquillité” giving us one more tune to end the night on a high note. There was a lot of excitement and commotion happening and it was a great way to end this incredible show.
