Florence + the Machine at Bonnaroo 2011

Fiery red hair. A gown of diaphanous black fabric with a train so impressive it required a helping hand to prevent it from getting snagged on the stage rigging. Pale faced but with dark, dark lips.

When Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine took the stage at This Tent on Friday night, she looked more like an enchantress from some fairy tale than a modern day singer. My personal walk to the tent had revealed two things, namely that the Bonnaroo staff had severely underestimated the number of people who would turn out to see the U.K. outfit live and that people were out-of-their-minds excited even if they didn’t stand a chance of seeing even a single glimpse of Florence herself.

The excitement was justified, of course. Florence + The Machine performances have quickly become notorious in the best way for not only the sheer quality of the music, but also the atmosphere and Welch’s knack for, well, performing. Bonnaroo 2011 was no different. Solitary drumstick in hand, Welch took a moment to dramatically “conduct” her fellow bandmates before launching into a rendition of Howl that was so pitch-perfect is was almost scary. I literally had goosebumps during Drumming Song, which followed directly thereafter.

If you’ve never seen the group live, I’m going to let you in on a little secret– Welch has quite the pair of pipes. Throughout the entire set, I kept waiting for her to miss a tough note or run, and she kept doing just the opposite by nailing each one with a surprising degree of accuracy. And she does it all while twirling and jumping around the stage, a feat which deserves an extra kudos considering the sweltering heat and humidity of central Tennessee during Bonnaroo. Welch could have taken it easy on stage or dialed back the performance, but she gave it her all. That in and of itself is commendable. The fact that said performance includes bone-chilling vocals and entrancing visuals makes it flat out astonishing.

For the curious, the set list went as follows:

Howl
Drumming Song
My Boy Builds Coffins
Between Two Lungs
Cosmic Love
Blinding
Strangeness & Charm
You’ve Got the Love
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
Heavy in Your Arms
Dog Days Are Over

Prior to the festival, I’d never had the opportunity to see Florence + the Machine live. I wanted to, sure, but the timing and location never seemed to line up. As soon as I found out I’d be at Bonnaroo, I quickly made them one of my top priorities for the entire weekend. After all the hype I built up for the gig in my own mind, it would’ve been easy to disappoint. Not only did Florence and gang not disappoint, they surpassed my highest expectations. I will be anxiously awaiting a chance to see her live again, and I strongly suggest that you do the same.

Trust me on this one.