As her backing band improvised a disco synth jam, a slow clap from the audience beckoned Marina’s return from one of several wardrobe changes. As if in answer, a smirking Marina hopped back onto stage decked out in bedazzled dollar-sign glasses and a varsity letterman jacket. Holding Big Mac cutouts, she led her band into the electrified beats of “Hollywood”, a European’s vision of the American Dream. “I’m obsessed with the mess that’s America” she chanted as she darted across all corners of the stage.
For “The Outsider”, Marina left the choreography to her voice. Wearing a black cape and velvet mini-dress, she stood still behind the microphone, her voice soaring up and down operatic scales, juggling grandiose pitches and contorted melodies. The song came into full bloom as synths burst to life and Marina shrieked, “I’m a fucking wildcard” in an ear-splitting octave.
Near the end of Marina and The Diamonds’ set that included crowd favorites like “I Am Not a Robot” and “Seventeen”, Marina gushed, “I couldn’t wish for a better start to a tour. You’ve been magical.” The crowd filling the newly revamped Paradise roared in approval. Marina nodded, “I fucking love you too. Too much.”