LIVE: Cardio with Lindsey Stirling. The dancing violinist showed that she is at the peak of strength and creativity

Prague, O2 universe

9. 10. 2024

Before the main star could speak and jump, the singer Nya, who is at least a little-known performer in Europe – after all, it was the first European tour of this American singer and her accompanying band, opened the program. Obviously, Nya’s stage benefits, as she sounds far more expressive live than on the somewhat lackluster studio recordings. The jazz pop singer is sure to win new fans during her half-hour set.

LIVE: “You write your own stories,” said dancing violinist Lindsey Stirling in Prague

Lindsey Stirling herself opens the set with a new song Eye of the Untold Herduring which, at the same time as the arrival of five accompanying dancers and the unveiling of the two-story stage structure, he outlines what a perfect scenography and performance should look like. During the next 100 minutes, there was not a single dull spot, not a discord – Stirling is gifted not only in movement and music, but she can also put together the visual concept of the show herself.

In the second half of the performance, one of the most famous songs is played Shatter Me. Here, Stirling begins by herself suspended from the ring, where she does perfect ropes and other acrobatic elements, while below she joins in with the ballet creations of the first dancer. After the other performers join in, Stirling is handed a violin by the girls and continues to circle with his head up and down as he plays. She finishes the last two minutes of the composition on the ground together with her dancers. After Shatter Me (can be translated as “Break Me”) is followed by a cleverly inserted new track Kintsugiwhich is named after a Japanese technique in which broken things (mostly crockery) are repaired with lacquer containing precious metals. In this way, Stirling transfers the meaning of this activity to the soul and life – even if each of us is somehow broken, it is also perfect at the same time.

The performance does not only have bold moments, there are also meditative moments, during which the singer teaches the crowd two breathing techniques that help her cope with anxiety attacks, which she spoke about openly during the last Prague performance. However, Stirling does not dwell on negative emotions for long, he prefers to focus on the good and perform, for example, a set on acrobatic scarves. I wouldn’t even be surprised if she practiced figure skating with acting before the next tour, because this woman can do anything she puts her mind to.

The long break since the last concert, which also took place at the O2 Universe, showed that Lindsey Stirling has not been idle during that time. In addition to even bolder creations on stage, she also grew mentally. Her delivery is noticeably more confident and she has energy to spare, even though she says she only recently got over a nasty breakup, which she described in the set’s final song Survive.

If it’s possible to capture a creative peak, the moment to pull the trigger on Lindsey Stirling’s career is now. And quite possibly the whole arena captured that moment while filming a clip for TikTok, which came about as a spontaneous idea on the same day based on a pre-concert Meet&Greet meeting with fans.

In 2010, while still a college student, Stirling participated in the America Got Talent competition and reached the quarterfinals. However, she didn’t go any further at the time because, according to judges Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne, she didn’t have what it took to “sail through the air and play the violin at the same time”, let alone “sell out the theater”. So, has the moment come now?

Text: Natalia ŠtrbákováPhoto: FB Lindsey Stirling (illustrative)

Topics: Lindsey Stirling, violin, O2 universum