Reviews: Ed Sheeran, Robert Plant, Lorde, Kendrick Lamar & More

This week, for your reading enjoyment, we have compiled critical reviews of live performances from Ed Sheeran in Perth, Australia; Robert Plant & His Sensational Space Shifters in Raleigh, N.C.; Lorde in Denver; Kendrick Lamar in Copenhagen; Miranda Lambert in Lexington.; Fleet Foxes in Miami; and Alessia Cara in Houston.

AP Photo / Rafiq Maqbool – Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran plays Reliance Jio Gardens in Mumbai, India, Nov. 19.

Ed Sheeran @ Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia, March 2 – “[I]f you thought the first of Mr Ed’s two Optus Stadium shows was a five-star experience – good, glad you enjoyed the gig. I just didn’t. …

“While I’m sure most Sheerios loved almost every moment of the 18-song concert, few non-fans would have been converted by a performance that was more than a fraction underwhelming.” – Simon Collins / The West Australian

Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters @ Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh, N.C., Feb. 9 – “Expectations aside, however, it was a show that ranks as the coolest musicology on the road today. Selections included Mississippi bluesman Bukka White’s ‘Fixin’ to Die,’ during which guitarist Justin Adams did a very cool solo where he hit the body of his instrument as much as the strings; fascinating interpretations of the folk songs ‘Gallows Pole’ and ‘Little Maggie’; and Zeppelin’s ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ arranged as a hoedown fiddle tune.” – David Menconi / The News & Observer

Rich Fury / Getty Images – Lorde
Lorde plays iHeart Radio Secret Sessions by AT&T at the Houdini Estate in Los Angeles Aug. 29.

Lorde @ Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo., March 5 – “Truth is, Lorde knows her strengths and weaknesses and embraces them both. She’s a wonderfully intriguing, unique pop vocalist which shines most when she’s seemingly just being herself on stage.” – Tyler Harvey / 303 Magazine

Kendrick Lamar @ Royal Arena Copenhagen in Copenhagen, Denmark, March 1 – “The unrivalled amount of classic music Kendrick Lamar has accumulated over a relatively short period is nothing short of astonishing. His catalogue is so strong – the audience seemed to each have their own ultimate favourites that they got the most amped up about.” – Eric Maganga / CPH Post Online

Rick Diamond Photography / Getty Images – Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert plays Infinite Energy Center in Atlanta Jan. 20.

Miranda Lambert @ Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., March 2 – “What the Rupp crowd of 13,500 witnessed was, in essence, a kind of artistic duality. For die-hard fans, there were tunes full of rocking defiance that established Lambert’s musical reputation more than a decade ago — songs like ‘Kerosene’ (which shot out of ‘That’s the Way That the World Goes Round’ like a bottle rocket) and ‘Gunpowder and Lead.’ Lambert’s voice, while hardly the epitome of country poise, possessed a might that, once detonated, sailed into upper registers to give these early tunes a properly anthemic authority.” – Walter Tunis / LexGo

Fleet Foxes @

Alessia Cara @ NRG Stadium @ NRG Park in Houston, Texas, March 4 – “Sunday evening’s RodeoHouston performance did not end with the star of the night riding in the back of a pickup truck past her adoring fans and into the Texas night. While I’m sure it’s happened before, I can’t recall anyone ever skipping that piece of RodeoHouston theater, and while it wasn’t a bad thing, it was a weird thing…

“There were no backup dancers or fancy pyrotechnics or massive band or costume changes. She simply took the show that she might perform in front of a crowd 1/10th of the size of the crowd of NRG Stadium and did it on a stage that rotates” – Cory Garcia / Houston Press