Purity Ring
Lydia Ainsworth
Another Eternity Tour 2016
Omaha, Nebraska
Sokol Auditorium
May 31st, 2016
Instead of just playing the Sasquatch Festival and Bonnaroo, Purity Ring decided to hit the road with fellow Canadian Lydia Ainsworth, and put together a short string of dates for a spring 2016 tour. On their way across the U.S., one of those stops would be Omaha, Nebraska. Purity Ring had played Omaha’s Maha Festival the previous summer, their first Omaha appearance, and the strength of that show would be what packed Sokol Auditorium for their headlining gig. For those of you unfamiliar with the band, Purity Ring is a Canadian electronic music duo formed in 2010 and originally from Edmonton, Alberta. The band consists of vocalist Megan James and DJ/percussionist Corin Roddick. Their critically acclaimed debut, Shrines, was released in 2012, followed by their sophomore release, Another Eternity, in 2015.
While they have quickly become one of my favorite bands, Purity Ring doesn’t get any radio play in the Omaha area, and very little outside promoting was done for the show. Without the backing of radio play, the underappreciated band utilizes their grassroots efforts and fans to promote the band’s music and their live shows in most areas. That, however, doesn’t stop the band for continuing to follow their dreams.
As the clocked ticked by, the fans streamed into Sokol Auditorium. By the time Lydia Ainsworth took the stage, close to a thousand fans had made their way to the venue. I’ve learned to give the opening bands just as much respect and admiration as the headlining bands. After all, my favorite bands once opened shows too.
As Lydia Ainsworth walked on the stage, and found her place behind her keyboard, the crowd cheered and clapped as our warm welcome. After a gracious bow and brief introduction, Ainsworth began to work her magic. Ainsworth is a composer, producer and singer based in Toronto, Canada. On September 30, 2014 she released her debut album “Right From Real” on Arbutus Records. Tonight would be her first stop in Omaha, and, to my knowledge, this short spring tour would be her first in the U.S. Her set tonight would be a mixture of tracks from her debut, and several new songs. Many of whose titles have not been revealed yet. With Purity Ring’s stage already set, Ainsworth utilized the floor to ceiling length LED tear drop curtains to enhance the overall tone of her music. Even though the backdrop was lifeless, Sokol’s stage lights bounced off of an played with the tear drops, casting shadows over the entire room throughout Ainsworth’s set.
Though a few of us were familiar with her music, Ainsworth’s passionate voice was enough to enrapture a crowd of strangers. While she didn’t introduce any of her songs, and very few of us knew the words to sing-a-long, the crowd found their connection to her music and used that to guide their nodding heads and bouncing bodies. The strength and complexity of her music was enough for me to forget that it was just Ainsworth and her keyboard on stage.
Ainsworth closed her set with a cover of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game, and that was enough to pull the crowd into her music further. I’ve heard Isaak himself perform the song, as well as Corey Taylor of Stone Sour and Slipknot. Each of the three gives their own unique touch to the track, but it was Ainsworth’s voice that brought new meaning to it. The sorrow, pain, and loneliness in her voice gave me chills and broke my heart. Hopefully this track will be recorded for her sophomore release.
With Purity Ring’s stage dressings having been set prior to the auditorium’s doors being opened, it wasn’t long after Ainsworth left the stage before the house lights were dimmed in and Purity Ring took the stage. The mood was calm, but the crowd, who had now reached almost 2300, was far from calm. Tonight wasn’t going to be a thrashing rock show but it was going to be a religious experience. For those of us who’ve seen previous shows on the Another Eternity Tour, we had an idea of what to expect. The band’s stage dressing was really more of a 3rd member, and embodied the core emotions of this tour.
Corin Roddick took his place center stage behind his DJ booth, the crowd screamed and cheered. As the opening chords of Heartsigh began, the floor to ceiling length LED tear drop lights, which had hung lifeless during Ainsworth’s set, slowly started to come to life. The louder the crowd cheered, the brighter the stage lights seem to pulse. Megan James presence soon followed, and the crowd roared as she walked on stage.
Not interested in putting on the same show over and over again, James and Roddick switched things up for this portion of their Another Eternity Tour. James’ outfit this evening was a black bodysuit with traces of lightning streaks marble etched throughout. She began the set wearing a flowing white trench coat that swayed and danced around her according to her moves. Roddick also had swapped out his usual white outfit for a futuristic black colored uniform.
Digging deeper into their debut release, the band added Amenamy to their set for this tour, and the track merged seamlessly in Repetition. The version of Repetition played was more sober than that of the album version. I believe the version played tonight was the same as the band had played earlier this year when they appeared on the Conan O’Brien show. After the final chords of Repetition, James removed her long coat, and twirled around the stage during Obedear.
The LED lights pulsated shades of green, purple, blue and red during Lofticries and Pull Pull. Purity Ring used their music to unite almost 3,000 fans into one giant rave. It was spectacular to see so many people singing along with every word of each song as they swayed and bounced.
As the crowd danced around during Bodyache, the stage lights throbbed like waves crashing on the shore. The lights receded during the verses and crashed against the crowd during the choruses.
Purity Ring aren’t content with just performing their live music verbatim though. That would be the easy way out for a band who utilizes the electronic aspect of the musical spectrum. Each song played was given an extended intro or outro. Roddick was extra time to shine as the remix of Belispeak, Belispeak ii, was played as the songs’ intro.
Crawlersout and Bodyache propelled the energy of Belispeak to an
As Flood on the Floor faded, the stage lights dimmed and a small contraption with flared pipes laid out like a peacock’s plumage was wheeled on stage. James took her place behind the machine, and the soothing tones of Stillness in Woe began. As Roddick tapped the hedrons on his DJ booth, the light pipes of James’ machine turned on. James’ hands wore cloves covered with bits of mirrors. As weaved her hands over beams of lights, the illumination danced across her fingers and bounced around the auditorium. The crowd swayed along as the lights woven by James danced across their faces. The stage lights burst and pulsated throughout the band’s 16 song set. Each of the bands songs was given a unique sequence from the LED curtains, ranging from dazzling strobes to illuminating waves crashing against the shore. The precision and timing of having such an elaborate light show enhanced the mood and tone of Purity Ring’s music.
Purity Ring closed their set with fan favorites Fineshrines and Begin Again. It was breathtaking to hear a few thousand people singing in unison with James. A crowd full of fans with their cellphones ready to take pictures and videos gave the auditorium the appearance of star field and greatly enhanced the urgent tone of the band’s closing songs.
For over an hour, Purity Ring gave us the ability to focus on the empowerment of their music and forget about the troubles in our lives that existed outside of the auditorium. The band allowed us the chance to unite as one community, using their music as a catalyst for greater things. We should all strive to inspire each other as much as the band encourages their fans.
Set list:
Heartsigh
Amenamy
Repetition
Obedear
Lofticries
Push Pull
Belispeak (with Belispeak ii intro)
Crawlersout
Bodyache
Sea Castle
Stranger Than Earth
Dust Hymn
Flood on the Floor
Stillness in Woe
Fineshrine
Begin Again
