Photos by Ariana LaBarrie/fresh pair of iis

Nao’s energy is magnetic and you feel like you are being pulled into her orbit. That is the best way to describe the captivating performance that Nao put on at the Majestic Theatre. She even started the show in the center of the audience, opening with “Another Lifetime.”

Nao had as much fun at the show as her fans did. She danced around to every song, smiling and giddy the entire time. She had a free spirit and attitude that you can only gain from coming out the storm.

Nao explained the meaning behind the title of her album, Saturn. Saturn’s orbital period is about 29 years, so once it goes back to the same position it did once you were born, many changes happen. You tend to reevaluate your relationships or make major decisions, so the album is about that period in her life.

Nao isn’t one of those divas that forgets where she came from. She remembered people in the crowd from previous shows.  She also shouted out her band that she has been with for five years, even before she could pay them. My favorite touch of the show is when she passed out balloons resembling the ones from her Saturn album cover.

Saturn is about letting go and moving on, but we shouldn’t move on from Nao anytime soon.

Merchandise Situation:

Her merchandise included a t-shirt, backpack, hoodie, poster, hat, CD and vinyl.  The most expensive item was the hoodie for $40. The vinyl ($25) and CD were both signed and I thought those were pretty cute. Most of the merchandise seemed to be only available on the tour and not online.

Setlist:

(this is the Portland show on Jan 14, and despite minor shakeups in the order, the setlist for the Detorit show was about the same)

1. Another Lifetime
2. If You Ever
3. Make It Out Alive
4. Fool to Love
5. Adore You
6. Gabriel
7. Orbit
8. Inhale Exhale
9. Complicated
10. Get to Know Ya
11. A Life Like This
12. Saturn
13. Girlfriend
14. Yellow of the Sun
15. Firefly
    (Mura Masa cover)
16. Drive and Disconnect
17. Bad Blood