Lizzy McAlpine Concert Review: “Five Seconds Flat” Tour

Courtesy of Mariah Solis

By Mariah Solis

Thousands of people lined up outside of Howard Theatre to witness indie folk-pop artist Lizzy McAlpine during her first-ever headlining tour, Five Seconds Flat, on September 24th. 

Lizzy McAlpine’s unique lyricism, cathartic bridges, and acoustic guitar playing have attracted a large fanbase, accumulating over 3.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify since she started posting songs on social media during the Covid-19 lockdown. With the announcement of her first headlining tour one day before the release of her second album, Five Seconds Flat (2022), fans sold out almost every venue, resulting in her adding more tour stops and upgrading venues. Her tour consists of several US states, Ireland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. Needless to say, she has dedicated listeners all over the world eager to see her live. 

Opening act Carol Ades, known for her indie-pop songs and competing in the fifth season of The Voice, was constantly responding to signs held up by fans and interacting with the crowd. At one point, she had everyone in the audience yell out their age before proceeding to sing her song “26,” a freeing experience for anyone unsure of what direction their life is heading. Her gentle yet commanding singing voice paired with her high energy on stage fueled the crowd for the night ahead. 

After her set, the stage was prepared by adding a singular acoustic guitar in the center of the stage under a purple spotlight: ready for Lizzy McAlpine. 

Her guitarist and drummer walked on stage first, playing a low, suspenseful humming sound while the crowd started buzzing with anticipation. At last, Lizzy confidently graced the stage. 

She immediately began singing “an ego thing,” and her clear, live vocals blended beautifully with the mixture of synth, drums, and electric guitar. The audience could feel the music pulse through their body as they naturally drew closer to the stage, singing and dancing.

She followed this with “Over-the-Ocean Call (Andrew),” where her soft voice beautifully crescendoed into the bridge while fans shouted the song. At the height of the bridge, she let the audience continue the melody while she belted high notes before returning to the soft, melancholic melody at the end. 

She prefaced her song “firearm” by saying it’s about constantly “ignoring red flags,” which earned a murmur of relatable agreement from the audience. Halfway through, the drums were added, and you could feel the music and emotions of the song ring through your bones as Lizzy belted “You had me convinced that you love me.”

After several powerful opening songs, she started to talk about how surreal it is to finally be on tour, especially since she never got to for her first album Give Me a Minute (2020) due to Covid-19.

“This is very exciting, playing these songs for real people in a real theater,” she shared. “It’s just insane because I wrote all those songs by myself, during quarantine, when I was alone in college and now all of you guys are singing it back to me. It’s just crazy!”

She then proceeded to sing “called you again,” saying that it is about repeatedly returning to the same person despite knowing it is not good for either of you. The musical buildup in tandem with the drums for “All I do is hurt you / All I do is hurt you” before going silent while her voice rings out “All I do is cause you pain,” left the audience in a stunned, motionless state for the remainder of the song. 

After this already devastatingly beautiful performance, she begins the cult-favorite song from her newest album Five Seconds Flat (2022): “ceiling,” which currently has nearly 11 million plays on Spotify. The acoustic ballad sings about a blissful romance before revealing in the final chorus that it is all entirely imaginary. As she started to sing the first verse, everyone seemed to be holding their breath, completely entranced as they earnestly listened to every word. Eventually, the audience sang along before screaming the gut-wrenching lyrics “But it’s not real /And you don’t exist / And I can’t recall the last time I was kissed.”

Together with her electric guitarist Kelly Rosenthal, who also writes songs under the moniker I Am Strikes, Lizzy performed an innovatively beautiful version of “Angelina.” They supplemented the trumpet section from the original recording with Rosenthal’s electric guitar, which earned several gasps and cheers from the audience. It created such an intimate moment between them and the audience, as everyone intently listened to the emotional swell of the electric guitar during the interlude. 

Afterwards, she masterfully sang “erase me” with chilling riffs and insanely talented vocals that made the crowd scream in awe. The mesh of electronic instrumentation and acoustic guitar caused everyone to dance to the upbeat tempo, creating an electrifying energy. 

Lizzy eventually performed two of her most popular songs, “Apple Pie” and “Pancakes for Dinner,” which became a heartwarming moment between everyone in the audience as each person swayed back and forth while singing the melody and harmonies. 

To perfectly close out the night, Lizzy sang the upbeat song “orange show speedway” while the audience sang and danced. Fans screamed the line “When you’re racing head-first towards something that’ll kill you in five seconds flat,” as a way to both acknowledge the title of her latest album and tour. It was a special moment between the audience and Lizzy that left a smile on her face. 

With the exhilarating rush of the last song, the crowd left the venue knowling they witnessed a concert they could never forget.