Music Review: Ellie Goulding at Sunfest 2014

Conway and my fellow TYF writer, Cachie Gonzalez, weren’t lying when they said my life wouldn’t be the same after seeing Ellie perform. Ellie Goulding that is. After her performance at this year’s Sunfest, I feel close enough to be on a first name basis with her.

I cannot say this enough: Ellie Goulding is phenomenal.

Pure, raw, unique and well-crafted talent.

She doesn’t need over the top, distracting wardrobes or elaborate stage production to make her seem more appealing and entertaining. All she needs is her solid band, great backup singers and comfy clothes so she can move around freely through the stage.

Though I haven’t met her personally, I believe one of the things that makes Ellie so endearing is her humility, the grace with which she carries herself; overflowing with confidence on stage but without oozing an ounce of pride. Her passion is contagious as she manages to lose herself in every one of her heart-felt songs. Look up her lyrics; they’ll give you the feels.

As you watch her sing, you can see the deep connection she has with her music, and instantaneously it connects you with her. She’s free from the pressure of solely being a crowd pleaser, and as the crowd senses that, we automatically just love her. Plus, have you seen her moves?! And those legs?! Girl is in tip top shape.

Now, I’ve always known about Ellie, it’s hard to ignore her chart-topping hits. But it’s only been over the past 6 months that I’ve truly dived into listening to all of her work. And in case you haven’t noticed, Ellie’s voice is different. It has a wide range and even has different textures to it. She can be soft and tender and then powerful and strong in the very next breath. Doing this live is not an easy task. I remember listening to her AOL live acoustic sessions where while she was still fairly good her voice seemed a bit weak and breathy. Maybe her voice wasn’t feeling top-notch that day, who knows. But from those performances to the one I saw at Sunfest this past Sunday – such incredible improvement. There are two things I’m a sucker for: an artist who is just as good live and an artist that continues to better themselves over time. Those two things are gold these days. Ellie has done both.

Ellie did about a two- hour set (which I was surprised Sunfest was able to pull off with such a big artist) while dancing around and oh, occasionally playing the guitar and drums. She nonchalantly would grab each instrument and totally kill it! She’d throw a drum stick and then jump straight (literally) into the chorus of “Starry-Eyed” without any heavy panting whatsoever, hitting those notes perfectly. Look up those AOL videos and you will see that it’s evident her voice has grown and strengthened immensely.

Major props in my book.

I would also like to thank Ellie for the emotional roller coaster that she took us on. She gave us the hands in the air, singing at the top of our lungs ‘cause we just don’t care moments with songs like “Lights,” “Burn,” and “I Need Your Love.”

Yet, she also melted our hearts by pulling out an acoustic guitar as she sang her version of “Your Song,” originally by Elton John. Through every emotional peak and valley, there were goose bumps felt and wide grins spread across our faces.

Ellie is a good time.

I know this review seems like a love shrine to Ellie Goulding. It’s been all positive raving, and some people enjoy reading reviews that nitpick and tear down an artist’s performance. If there was something to pick at, I would have. If there was something she was lacking, I truly would have said it. Scout’s honor.

But I guess to give those people some pleasure; I could say that she could’ve used the catwalk of the stage more often. She also could’ve done more of the usual crowd hand grabbing; mine in particular would’ve been great. But really, she covered all her bases; performing her most popular hits as well as singing her old classics for the die-hard fans.

This was my first time seeing Ellie Goulding live. In this particular appearance she was great, no complaints. It’s been almost a week since I saw her, and I’ve still been singing her songs, trying to mimic her dance moves.

I’m excited for Sunfest’s lineup for next year as they really hit a homerun with a lot of the solid acts they booked this year, Ellie Goulding being one of them.