Sophie Ellis-Bextor was a UK pop sensation in the early 2000’s who has finally made her way to the stages of North America. With her fun and upbeat sound, it’s a shock it took her this long, but personally I am so glad she is finally getting the recognition she deserves. Her first ever show in Toronto was sold-out and it was evident by the absolutely jam-packed venue that was buzzing with excitement. Even before the show you could see that people were excited, there was a line all the way down the street waiting for the doors to open!
From the moment Sophie took the stage, she was a firecracker. She came out dancing and moving like you wouldn’t even image. Her sequined pink dress and sparkly silver shoes looked even more incredible as she danced across the stage and kept her energy sky high! She started off strong with the song ‘Crying at the Discotheque’, which felt like the perfect song to start the night, and I think the crowd would have agreed. She burst into songs like ‘Take Me Home’ (a Cher cover)’ and Music Gets the Best of Me’. Then Sophie did something I’ve never seen an artist do in concert before. She had a wheel on stage with a bunch of songs on it and she would spin the wheel to get a surprise song. She did this twice during the concert and I think it was a fun and interesting way of including the audience in the show!
She played a fantastic variety of her own songs and covers. There were so many people I spoke to before the show who were really excited to finally have the opportunity to see Sophie Ellis-Bextor live in concert, and it truly was incredible to have been there amongst such super fans! She ended off the night with her most popular and viral song ‘Murder on the Dance Floor’, and it was absolutely killer (no pun intended haha!). She did come back out for an encore to play 2 more songs, which wrapped up the night perfectly.
I am holding out such hope that Sophie Ellis-Bextor comes back to Toronto sometime soon, because she really was awesome. I would love to attend her show as just a fan next time and just enjoy the show because it was so great. Sophie is an artist I truly believe deserves every bit of love and attention she gets because she has worked for it, and she performs like no other! If you have the opportunity to catch her on any of her upcoming North American dates in the fall, I would highly recommend it!
Setlist:
-Crying at the Discotheque (Alcazar cover)
-Take Me Home (Cher cover)
-Music Gets the Best of Me
-Mixed Up World (wheel spin song)
-Hypnotized
-Young Blood (acoustic)
-Hearing in Colour
-Me and My Imagination (wheel spin)-Get Over You
-Lady (Hear Me Tonight)/ Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)/ Can’t Fight This Feeling/ Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! (A Man After Midnight)
-Not Giving Up on Love (Armin van Buuren cover)
-Like a Prayer (Madonna cover)
-Heartbreak (Make me a Dancer) (Freemasons cover)
-Murder on the Dancefloor
Encore:
-Bittersweet
-A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed (acoustic)
Stay tuned to Stereofade for more, including a review of Blue Mar’s newest single, “Fallen Leaves”.
