Lorde kicked off her Ultrasound Tour in Austin, TX to a sold out crowd. She started the evening with ‘Hammer’ off of this years album Virgin and ‘Royals’ off of 2013’s Pure Heroine, which felt less like a callback and more like an acknowledgment of where it all started both for her and her fans. The setlist spanned all four of her studio albums, offering a well-rounded look at her evolution but the heart of the show undeniably belonged to Virgin.
When she walked on stage, she didn’t do it like someone returning, she did it like someone arriving. Which feels like a ridiculous thing to say about Lorde, an artist I’ve always seen as remarkably self-assured. Since her teenage years, she’s released music that feels completely original, with each tour built around a fully realized vision. This show is not about performance, but presence. She echoed this sentiment while addressing the crowd before launching into ‘Liability’ .
“…it means so much to me to be starting this tour here because I feel like Austin is a place where you want the real thing, you know. You want all the layers. And I’m really in a stage of my life where i’m just peeling off one layer at time. And that’s why I sit before you in my t-shirt and jeans, because Austin I don’t never wanna hide anything from you. In fact I think that the mission of my life is to keep revealing myself to you. And I’m so grateful, so honored that you care, thank you so so much.”
“Man of the Year” was a highlight of the night. Her performance captured the raw energy and personal message of the music video, it was intimate and powerful, and you could feel how deeply the song connects with both Lorde and her audience.
She closed the night with a one-two gut punch: ‘David’ ,during which she parted the crowd and walked among them, followed by ‘Ribs’ a communal, transcendent experience that included an additional ad libbed verse. At the end of the song the house lights came on and Lorde took a few additional moments to look around, thank the crowd, and take in the moment. It seems clear that this is just the beginning for Lorde.
Lorde is on tour in North America through October, Europe and the UK in November and December and continues into 2026 with dates in Australia, New Zealand , and South America.
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