Live Review
The British singer-songwriter turned The Art of Loving into gospel with an astoundingly present performance for her first of four sold-out nights at the iconic venue
There’s a word Olivia Dean consistently called to mind throughout her headlining performance at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Aug. 14 — present. The show was the first of four consecutive sold-out nights the British singer-songwriter has scheduled at the venue this weekend. She didn’t seem to be thinking too much about the other three, or really anything beyond that exact moment. Dean was astoundingly present.
It’s the most apt descriptor for the manner in which she commanded the room for nearly two full hours with a set spanning 24 songs. “I’m feeling emotional and grateful and so present with you this evening, New York,” Dean told the audience. It was early in the night and she just finished introducing the show with an opening run of “The Art of Loving,” “Nice to Each Other,” and “Lady Lady.” A brief encapsulation of how love lingers. A madly persuasive plea to live in the moment. A surrender to the inevitability of change. It was the exact order in which the songs appear on her acclaimed second album, The Art of Loving, which shares a title with the tour.
