LINDSEY STIRLING LIVE!! | REDHAT
Coverage by Larissa Blankenship
July 17th brought sweltering heat to Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, NC, but it more notably brought Lindsey Stirling’s highly anticipated Duality: Untamed tour. Stirling, a violinist, dancer, and songwriter, has captivated audiences and fans with her talent and unique performance style over the course of her career. She began taking violin lessons at a young age, and later made it to the quarter-finals of America’s Got Talent in 2010 at the age of twenty-three with her mix of violin performance and hip-hop dance. Her drive led her to release a full length debut album in 2012 which coincided with her first North American tour. The self-titled album features a collection of up-beat violin centered tracks, including one of her first hits, “Crystallize”. Stirling has since composed and released seven full-length albums with her most recent release, Duality, in 2024. Each collection highlights her incredible talent as a violinist and many tracks feature her own vocals. Stirling has also collaborated with many artists over the years such as Amy Lee, Lzzy Hale, John Legend, Dan + Shay, and Pentatonix.
Lindsey Stirling provides one of the most unique and awe inspiring live performances I have ever seen. Starting the show strong with her cover of “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin, Stirling strode onto stage with her violin named “David Bowie”, an electric violin featuring a cross-bow on the neck. Backlit by an image of stained glass windows, Stirling danced across the raised platform at the back of the stage. Playing a violin while performing intricate choreography takes an incredible amount of focus and skill, and Stirling makes it look like she was born for it. Much of the choreography includes elements of ballet and hip hop and the heat did not stop her and her dancers from giving it their all. Stirling’s costumes, which she puts together herself, also immerse the audience in the visual aspect of her shows. The black lace and chainmail of her opening outfit reflected the steampunk vibes of the first few songs and she often wears elements that flow with her as she dances.
If all of this somehow did not prove how impressive Stirling is as an artist and performer, she takes it one step further by incorporating aerial silks and lyra into her performances. Climbing onto her apparatus, one of her dancers hands Stirling her violin before she is lifted high above the stage. She then continues to play while spinning or hanging upside down. Stirling also takes moments during her performance to interact with her audience, often speaking on her own personal struggles and highlighting mental health. On many of her tour stops, including Raleigh, she incorporates some audience participation by filming tik tok dances and skits to her music with the audience holding up phone lights in the background. Stirling continued the show with fan favorite songs from across her discography such as “Artemis”, “Shatter Me”, and “The Arena”. The show closed out with the opening band PVRIS's lead singer Lynn Gunn joining Stirling on stage to perform “Eye of the Untold Her (Echo in the Dark)”.
Lindsey Stirling is the definition of pure talent, dedication, and hard work. If you are looking for a one-of-a-kind performance or an incredible artist to add to your listening library, I cannot recommend Stirling enough. If you are lucky you can catch Stirling at one of her future shows as she continues to tour across North America and Latin America through October of this year. In the meantime, I eagerly look forward to the next time she stops by Raleigh.
