Live Review: Halsey, Kehlani

Riverstage is no stranger to a killer show, and the Halsey Hopeless Fountain Kingdom proves no exception.

We kick off the night with the exquisite sounds of Kehlani, R&B goddess and a superstar in the making. Those in the crowd who aren't already fans are quick to get on board. Kehlani wows the crowd just in time to deliver her well-known track Gangsta. With great appreciation for the crowd, Kehlani announces her support for the LGBTQIA+ community, appropriately timed right before entering into her next song, Honey. With a throwback cover of Tamia's 1998 anthem So Into You, Kehlani may have slightly misjudged the age demographic of the audience, with only about half being old enough to recognise the tune. However, for those folk mature enough to appreciate it, the cover is a great addition to Kehlani's set. 

After a wonderful support act performance, we wait in anticipation for the unmistakable voice of the one and only Halsey, aka Ashley Frangipane. She greets the stage as a silhouette behind a sheet, the New Jersey singer appearing in a glittering silver bodysuit and pulling out some very stylish moves as it fell. The stage is designed flawlessly and includes a very impressive set of stairs big enough to hold a choir (or just a dancing Halsey). The stairs are even featured in a very impressive audiovisual production that connects to the screen-wall behind Halsey, displaying well thought out image sequences for each song as she performs.

In the first of many somewhat intimate but long-winded discussions to the crowd, Halsey talks about the problems she has experienced with past lovers and relationships. She lands on the suggestion that perhaps sometimes "you're the problem" and with that, we are delivered the next track Bad At Love. In an epic and high energy performance, the crowd bounce and sing along to every word. Flames are paired with exciting lighting production through songs like Eyes Closed, before Halsey slows it down for another intimate chat with the crowd. Like Kehlani, Halsey addresses her support of the LGBTQIA+ community. The cheers are immeasurable, perfectly segueing into her track Strangers, and it's clear that awareness and support are the themes of the night.

Halsey slows it down again for a stripped-back version of her massive Chainsmoker collaboration, Closer. She confesses to mixed feelings towards the song since its oversaturated radio play made her, as well as many listeners, begin to dislike the track. She admits that the song brought a lot of new followers and fans into her life and how appreciative she is to have those people in her life now, but it was a bittersweet experience. Quite an honest admission from a performer on stage and one the audience seems to appreciate. Getting back into it Halsey gives us hit after hit with vigour and edge. Probably the best performance of the night came towards the end with Gasoline, one of her bigger tracks.

In true Halsey style, we end the night in a blaze of flames and confetti. The show cannot be faulted. The audience was left on a complete high. As the last Australian show of her world tour, Halsey has definitely wrapped Hopeless Fountain Kingdom with a bang here. Displaying kindness, humour, intimacy and honesty throughout her show, it is safe to bet that those who were not a diehard fan before seeing the concert definitely left one. Her voice, which is so unique and recognisable, will be echoing in the heads of all those who were lucky enough to be in a Halsey audience.