Concert Review: Lindsey Stirling – Northern Quest Casino – Airway Heights, WA

With six studio albums that have charted on the Billboard 200, and 13.6 million subscribers on Youtube with over 3 billion views, Lindsey Stirling has undoubtedly become a well recognized household name. She’s had song highlights including, ‘Shatter Me’ featuring Lzzy Hale, ‘Crystalize’, and her newest cover of ‘Kashmir’, by Led Zeppelin. Lindsey’s Summer Tour in 2023 will take her across the U.S. beginning August 1st in Bridgeport, CT at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater and will conclude in Bend, OR at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater on September 2nd. The Summer tour is paired up with Canadian band, Walk Off The Earth, who is well known for creating catchy covers of popular songs and creating a ton of energy with crowds they entertain.

The smell of rain was in the air, but die-hard Spokane area fans are no stranger to outdoor concerts in the rain. Walk Off the Earth wasn’t so lucky and were rained on, but attendees caught a break in the weather for the first half of Lindsey’s set. As the weather kicked back in, it hardly put a damper on the night, with most attendees having come prepared with ponchos or some that the venue provided. But, for those who took a brief reprieve inside the venue casino, wall-shaking bass rattled pictures and furniture, which was a firm reminder that even with earplugs it would have probably been very overbearing volume, if it had been an indoor show.  

Lindsey is known for her stunning mix of ballet and contemporary dance styles during her performances. She moves with elegance, pulling off some impressive multitasking, playing violin and nailing the stage choreography. She was often playing long musical notes while doing backbends, extensions, and pirouettes. And, on top of that, she’s also a talented costume designer and created many of the costumes she appeared in that night.

On this tour, Lindsey chose to embrace her classical violin training and performed a classical piece from  Bach, ‘Tocata in Fugue’, a surprise for fans who have known her to avoid classical pieces in her performances. That said, she spoke with her audience about her choice to do so, which delighted all the parents when she encouraged all the young listeners to build music fundamentals in instrumentation, with classical music. Her stage presence is made even more captivating by adding some ‘Cirque-like’ elements, that included acrobatics and “magical” moments that pop up in the middle of her show. You’ll just have to attend a concert to see for yourself.

“She engages the crowd with every song and brings such a positive and passionate energy”. 

      – Kala B. (Concert Attendee)

Lindsey and crew return in November after a short 2-month tour break to begin the holiday ‘Snow Waltz’ tour, featuring songs from her latest album, Snow Waltz, available via Concord Records.

Band Members:

Lindsey Stirling – Violin

Drew Steen – Drums / Percussion

Ryan Riveros – Keyboard / Guitar

Supporting Act:

Walk Off The Earth

Stay tuned to Stereofade for more concert reviews, like this one for a cappella group Pentatonix when they performed in Raleigh, NC.