Concert Review: Florence + The Machine at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre

Formed in 2007, the English rock band has had a massive rise over the past decade and a half. Their current US tour, the "Dance Fever" tour, is hitting arenas and amphitheaters across the country. The group is touring in support of their latest album, Dance Fever, which released in May oof this year.

King Princess, an indie rocker on the rise, opened the show. Their debut single, "1950," launched them to early success in 2018. Her performance was incredible, with fans being equally as thrilled with her set as the headlining set to come.

Florence + The Machine, made up of Florence Welch (lead vocals, percussion), Isabella Summers (keyboards, backing vocals), Robert Ackroyd (lead guitar), Christopher Lloyd Hayden (drums, percussion), Tom Monger (harp, xylophone, bass guitar, backing vocals), Mark Saunders (bass guitar, percussion, backing vocals), and Rusty Bradshaw (rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), has achieved legend status in the modern zeitgeist. With millions of listeners around the world, thousands of adoring fans on tour, and multiple platinum records, Florence + The Machine is an act to see live.

From start to finish it was clear, Florence Welch and company are professional, astounding musicians, who put on a dazzling live performance. The entire show felt etherial, almost like a magical aura was washed over the entire venue. Welch's command of the stage was awe-inspiring, and the connection formed with fans was omnipresent throughout the whole night.

I think one of the most important facets of a live performance is a clear and obvious passion. This couldn't be more true for Florence + The Machine. The band performed with so much joy, it was clear that the time off during the past few years had not tapered the band's ability to perform with the spirit and fervor that was present this night. 

Twenty-two songs and an hour and forty-five minutes later, Florence + The Machine had Ameris bank rocking. From majors hits like "Dog Days are Over" and "Shake It Out" to newer releases like "My Love" and "Free," Florence + The Machine covered all their bases. Five albums deep, it gets harder and harder to narrow down tracks to perform.

          1. Heaven Is Here

          2. King

          3. Ship to Wreck

          4. Free

          5. Daffodil

          6. Dog Days are Over

          7. Girls Against God

          8. Dream Girl Evil

          9. Prayer Factory

          10. Cassandra

          11. What Kind of Man

          12. Morning Elvis

          13. June

          14. Hunger

          15. Choreomania

          16. Kiss With a Fist

          17. Cosmic Love

          18. My Love

          19. Restraint

          -

          20. Never Let Me Go

          21. Shake It Out

          22. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)

Florence + The Machine still have a lot of touring planned for the year, with a run out to the west coast and a UK/European tour set. Four stops in Australia and a stop in New Zealand are also planned for early 2023. Their full dates are below:

          9/27 Austin, TX — Moody Center~     

          9/28 Irving, TX — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory~

          10/01 Denver, CO — Ball Arena

          10/04 Vancouver, BC — Rogers Arena^

          10/06 Seattle, WA — Climate Pledge Arena#

          10/07 Portland, OR — Theater of the Clouds^

          10/09 Mountain View, CA — Shoreline Amphitheatre#

          10/12 San Diego, CA — Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater#

          10/14 Los Angelos, CA — Hollywood Bowl*

          10/15 Los Angelos, CA — Hollywood Bowl#

          11/14 Paris, FR — Accor Arena=

          11/16 Cardiff, UK — Motorpoint Arena=

          11/18 London, UK — The O2=&

          11/19 London, UK — The O2=&

          11/21 Bournemouth, UK — Bournemouth International Centre=

          11/22 Manchester, UK — AO Arena=

          11/24 Birmingham, UK — Utilita Arena=

          11/25 Leeds, UK — First Direct Arena=

          11/27 Glasgow, UK — OVO Hydro=

          11/28 Nottingham, UK — Motorpoint Arena=

          11/30 Dublin, IR — 3Arena=

          3/04/2023 Perth, AU — RAC Arena+

          3/08/2023 Melbourne, AU — Rod Laver Arena+

          3/13/2023 Sydney, AU — Qudos Bank Arena+

          3/17/2023 Brisbane, AU — Brisbane Entertainment Centre+

          3/21/2023 Auckland, NZ — Spark Arena+

          + with King Princess

          ~ with Yves Tumor

          ^ with Japanese Breakfast

          # with Wet Leg

          * with GRIFF

          = with Willie J Healey

          & with Aziya

Florence + The Machine is one of the best bands, one of the best musical acts, in the world right now. In their time since their debut, they have aged like fine wine. Their onstage talent and presence throughout the show is what all artists should strive towards.