by Evan Schwartz ‘13

On Wednesday, September 19, hundreds of jittery hipsters and pop culture rebels descended on Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Their framed glasses fogging with excitement, and their self-cut jean shorts perfectly messy, the audience waited patiently through two mediocre opening acts before she graced the arena with her presence. Enter Florence Welch and her supporting band members (The Machine); the magic ensued.

English indie-rock band Florence + The Machine is in the middle of their very first North American tour following the success of their second album, “Ceremonials.”

The album, which received critical acclaim from music magazine Rolling Stone and newspapers internationally, was released in 2011 and proves Welch’s expertise as a true lyricist as shown in singles “Shake it Out” and “No Light, No Light,” to which the audience sang along word for word, filling in eagerly when Welch held out her microphone.

The band performed for almost an hour and forty-five minutes, singing hits from their first album, “Lungs,” which debuted in 2009 and earned them a Grammy nod, as well as favorites from their newest album including the epic masterpiece “Breath of Life” which was written for the soundtrack of the recently released “Snow White and the Huntsmen” film.

An interesting collection of musicians, Florence + The Machine defies the indie-rock band mold by including the heavy influence of the poised harpist, who would have stolen the show had Welch not demanded the undivided attention of the audience with her ethereal voice and consequentially captivating aura.

Dressed in a simple black gown with minimal makeup, Welch breathes normality into the modern music culture. Do not be fooled by the composed front shown in interviews; the singer seemed to be absolutely possessed by the music as she pranced from one end of the stage to the next like a heroin-chic fairy, and at one point grabbed the back of her head with both hands in excitement and thrust her arms forward. It was evident that Welch was as happy as could be on stage, and wished only to share her happiness with the audience she referred to in a thick English accent as “Mary-Land.” “You are absolutely BRILLIANT, Mary-Land!” she would exclaim repeatedly while smiling and clapping giddily.