The Voodoo Room was packed with fans counting down the seconds until Luna Li would step onstage. It was Li’s first night on tour celebrating the release of her newest album “When a Thought Grows Wings,” and the audience was buzzing with anticipation. As someone who had yet to fully explore Li’s discography, I was fortunate to have a live performance be my gateway to her music.
As Li and her band took stage, they moved straight into the opening track of the album, “Confusion Song”. Immediately, Li’s ethereal stage presence and bright instrumentals reeled me in, especially as she picked up the flute, or when she crossed the stage to play the harp during “Misery Moon”. When she was not wielding a new instrument, Li floated across the stage as each song melted into the next. After performing three tracks from the new album, Li welcomed the crowd, expressing her deep gratitude for both new and old fans.
Then, Li and her band played a medley of songs from her 2021 “jams” EP, an entirely instrumental project. The band chemistry shined the brightest during this musical interlude. There was little to do except stare in awe at the harmony of the musicians who expertly melded Li’s classical music background with a bedroom-indie sound, turning the Voodoo Room into a peaceful dreamscape. It came as no surprise when Li mentioned that the band had been playing together for over seven years, beginning in garages around Toronto. After the jams, they played a crowd favorite, “Cherry Pit,” as an homage to the early days of the band.
Just when I thought I had counted all the instruments Li would play, she pulled out her violin to accompany “Lonely/Lovely,” a song from her 2022 debut album “Duality”. I was amazed by her musical talent and felt unbelievably lucky to experience it all live, but I secretly hoped to hear a few more plucks of the harp before the night ended. The next song, in which she combined two sister tracks “I Imagine” and “Enigami,” featured the heavenly harp outro I had been craving.
Towards the end of the night, Li introduced her favorite song from the new album, “I Would Let You”. Maybe it was just because I knew this was her favorite, but as I listened, the palpable passion embedded into the performance made her favorite song mine too. Li dedicated the next song to the late singer Minnie Riperton, then announced she had two songs left. The audience snapped out of their trance and leaned in to soak up the last few minutes of the show. Too soon, Li hopped off-stage with a cheeky grin, waiting for just a brief moment before answering to the encore calls with two songs, including one of her more popular songs, “Afterglow”. During the second verse of “Afterglow,” she encouraged members from the audience to come onstage and sing with her, but when the spotlight landed in the crowd, gaps formed. She resigned with a laugh and had a bandmate sing with her, which was fitting, as their band chemistry was on display all night. I hope for one show, someone in the crowd will be brave enough to sing alongside Li; I sure wish I did.
There ended a fully transcendent night of music. Not only did her existential poetics land heavily on my chest, but Li’s command over a range of instruments left me stunned. The blend of a soft flute and prominent drum was something I could have never imagined before this show. As I drove home, I turned on “When a Thought Grows Wings” and tried to bring myself back into Luna Li’s mystical world.
Image courtesy of Genius
