Staff Editor on September 27th, 2018

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Florence Welch was a blur of motion — and emotion — on Tuesday night as Florence + the Machine played the first of two nights at the Hollywood Bowl.

The occasion was the band’s tour in support of their new album “High As Hope,” their fourth, and they were greeted warmly by a huge crowd, many of whom got to witness Welch up close and personal during her many forays into the audience. The band played seven songs from the new album — starting with the opening two tracks — before the singer paused to share some background on “South London Forever.”

Welch explained that the song was about her time in London, her messy early teens and twenties. She reminded people that during this stressful time, “A revolution in consciousness requires individuals … Even if you feel like it doesn’t matter, I promise you it does.”

As is her habit, she reminded everyone that because she was singing “Patricia,” it meant Patti Smith was present in spirit. She asked the crowd to put away their phones for “Dog Days Are Over,” and people actually complied. But for “Cosmic Love,” she asked that they take out their phones again to make “the stars.”

Although Welch went into the crowd many times, either by walking on the pool circle or leaning over the barricade, during “Delilah” she ran all the way up towards the cheap seats then stood on top of the banister that separates the super seats and the terrace boxes to sing to the crowd.

She started the encore with a song she hadn’t been singing on tour, “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” — explaining that it was inspired by a romance that started at the Bowl, so it was only natural to perform it here.

Then confetti started raining down when the band, joined by opening act Kamasi Washington, performed “Big God.” And Welch finished the concert with “Shake It Out.”

Setlist: June, Hunger, Between Two Lungs, Only If for a Night, Queen of Peace, South London Forever, Patricia, Dog Days Are Over, 100 Years, Ship to Wreck, The End of Love, Cosmic Love, Delilah, What Kind of Man. Encore: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, Big God (joined by Kamasi Washington), Shake It Out.

Photos by Annie Lesser