Lawrence's long-awaited performance in Boulder was a smashing success

A low drone reminiscent of the old movie intro sounds filled the room, the lights blackened, and a hush fell over the audience. The floor lamps around the stage began pulsing blue and purple, forming a beat that the audience stomped along to until cheers broke the rhythm. The band sauntered onstage, all wearing red baseball jerseys adorned with Lawrence, except for the two siblings whose surname sparked the logo design.

Starting the concert off with “Casualty,” a strong upbeat number heavy with off-beat drops and syncopation, Lawrence demonstrated its range of sound and music expertise. The horns were tight and the chemistry within the band was undeniable. 

Gracie, the lead singer, sang with such range and a timbre that only an old soul could have while Clyde, her brother, sang and played the keyboard with a groove that has seldom been heard since Electric Light Orchestra’s “Out of the Blue” album. 

In an interlude between their first and second numbers, Gracie explained the concept behind their current touring album, “Hotel TV.” They wanted to play to a sense of nostalgia, to remind their listeners of a time when sharing milkshakes was not taboo and hotels were not viral hotspots. They wanted to bring their audience back to their adolescence. While Gracie spoke to the audience, the horns were playing the “The Office” theme arranged by Clyde. And boy, did the audience love it.

As the show continued and various other TV show themes were played as interludes, it was clear that Lawrence expertly designed its show for all generations in the audience. Since its music spans both the soul and pop genres, audience members’ ages ranged from high schoolers with big Vs sharpied on their hands to at least a couple of Boomers who were remarkably agile on the dance floor. 

Each generation had its own theme songs played: the theme from “Hey Arnold” brought back memories of Saturday mornings with a bowl of cereal, and I’m sure the “Seinfeld” theme song had similarly nostalgic effects for the audience older than I. But best of all, if you listen closely enough to the studio recording of “Don’t Lose Sight,” you can hear the drum beat in the background paying homage to “The Powerpuff Girls” theme song.

The audience’s participation was key for the show. Lawrence had the crowd choose the songs at two points in the set. During “Freckles,” a song about female empowerment, Gracie performed with a call-and-response as the audience sang the words, “you know you’re beautiful.” 

Various other songs had the audience clapping and stomping, and Clyde split the audience into a three-part-harmony where each person’s pitch was determined by what year they bought their ticket in; a solid third of the audience bought tickets in 2019 for the original show in September of 2020 that got cancelled due to COVID-19.

Their return to the stage was long awaited and did not disappoint.

Lawrence had a couple of silly moments, too, with two on-stage rock-paper-scissors matches between the horns section and a cover of “Cha-Cha Slide” that brought the audience back to middle school dances and Bar Mitzvahs. 

They closed on a more serious and wistful note by playing a beautiful cover of “Tomorrow” from “Annie” that hit differently in COVID times, thanking their audience for the support, and promising to be back here when the pandemic can’t cancel their tour again. Given the audiences’ reception and cheers, I believe the New York City siblings’ promise will come true.