CLEVELAND, Ohio — In terms of crossover appeal, platinum contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle is at the peak of her powers.
The two-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter is not only the most popular singer on the contemporary Christian music charts, but is also breaking new ground on the pop-oriented Billboard 200.
On Thursday night (May 30), Daigle brought his fun-filled “Kaleidoscope Tour” to Northeast Ohio, filling the floor and lower seating area of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with listeners of The Fish (WHFM-FM).
While in other genres, artists must constantly evolve their style or risk losing relevance, contemporary Christian artists are so focused on expressing God’s Word in new ways that original songwriting often takes a back seat.
There is nothing wrong with that approach, of course, but reviewing a Christian show can be a difficult task when for the majority of concert-goers, the appeal was the impeccable spiritual message.
Moreover, Daigle’s mainstream success has been built around uplifting songs that, at best, sound like secular empowerment, but are also packed with spiritual messages.
With that in mind, Daigle, a Louisiana native who repeatedly stressed that she is a Louisiana State University Tigers fan but claims to root for Ohio State despite calling the university “Ohio,” delivered a sweet message and performance to the youth group for the loyal crowd.
But the nearly two-hour show was a bit uneven, beginning and ending with Daigle’s jambalaya pop, R&B and soul sounds and then breaking into more religious church service numbers in the middle.
Backed by a five-piece band, an upbeat horn section (sort of a second line) and soulful backing vocals, Daigle set the colorful tone for the evening by kicking off with “These Are The Days,” a recent Christian radio top 20 hit off her upcoming self-titled third studio album due for release in 2023.
This bass-driven song was followed by the soulful “Waiting,” the poppy “New” and the funky “Look Up Child.”
Almost everything was delivered exactly as recorded, but ultimately there seemed to be a lack of creativity.
Daigle’s momentum quickly fizzled as, while she graced the catwalk and talked about life, her attention strayed to a handful of young fans — her biggest cash cows.
She ended up bringing her kids onstage for what felt like an extended, wholesome church service experience rather than a concert.
Though it was a showstopper (and not necessarily in a good way), the intimate moments were special as they allowed loyal audiences to truly experience the kind-hearted Daigle they love.
Next came spiritual songs such as “Kaleidoscope Jesus,” “Rescue” and “Salvation Mountain.”
The latter saw Daigle and the audience joyfully singing along to the high notes.
Considering her most recent No. 1, “Thank God I Do,” was semi-buried in a medley played offstage at the end of the setlist, one gets the impression that fans would have been satisfied with a solo performance.
While the performance may have left this reviewer wanting to see more, Daigle delivered just what the audience expected, closing with a powerful “You Say.”
The night kicked off with the acoustic pop sounds of Christian singer Ellie Holcomb, who really got the already excited crowd going.
The highlight of her short performance was the fractured anthem “Constellations,” which reminded the audience that those with mental health issues are not as alone as they think.
