leo burghaus

Laurie Anderson was not a known name to me until my mum invited me to the concert she gave in Barcelona’s L’Auditori this week. I ended up in the 6th row during a 90-minute performance. I went in with no expectation.

She was accompanied by a group of talented musicians called SexMob, who seemed to be completely in tune with one another. The faces were relaxed, smiling, and playful, without compromising what was a spectacle planned to every detail – and delivered effortlessly. One gets the feeling of a good working team that enjoys what they do.

At the heart of the group was a very likeable, 78-year-old Laurie Anderson, whose dynamism and energy would’ve made me guess her to be 30 years younger. Her voice was alive, clear, moving. Her movements were careful, measured, in harmony. At every point she was in total control of the show, handling two little screens controlling sounds, lyrics, and the media displayed in the background, whilst playing different instruments, speaking, and singing. It was an extraordinary display of coordination and focus. And it all seemed, as with the band, effortless.

Her art is political and surprisingly personal. She uses the stage to express her views and to speak out, especially about Trump’s decisions and the US. It is personal not only because of how she’s able to relate these topics to old friends, anecdotes of her life, and other artists she likes. It is personal also because she tells us stories about her childhood, the death of her father, and family traumas. And she does so in a very natural way, without forcing the narrative or expecting empathy, but as part of her story.

The storytelling, combined with stage performance, the sounds, the light, the colors, the images, and the presence of Laurie Anderson make for an immersive experience. It seemed that way not only for me, but for everyone else in the audience: we were completely absorbed. At one point, she got us to move to Tai Chi movements… fun.

I’m taking away three things from the experience. The first two are rules she had with Lou Reed: 1.)Don’t ever be afraid of anyone – imagine that. 2.) Get a very good bullshit detector – and make sure you know how to use it. The third is one rule for myself: if there is a chance to see someone live who has been successfully doing art longer than you’ve been on the planet, go.