On the night of Oct. 10, a long line of excited fans in outfits ranging from clock-tower-inspired dresses to flowing ballgowns snaked around the entrances to Chicago’s United Center. Laufey’s stop in Chicago for her A Matter of Time Tour started with a buzz of energy from the attendees in line as the doors to the stadium finally opened. Fans ecstatically sprinted to the merchandise tables to analyze which tote bag and T-shirt designs they wanted. The front entrance lobby was decorated with a large cardboard cutout, inviting fans to take pictures in front of a colorfully detailed Mei Mei bunny — Laufey’s mascot and the main character of her upcoming children’s book.
As the arena filled up with squeals and murmurs, the lights dimmed, flashing green to reveal Suki Waterhouse, the opener for the entirety of Laufey’s tour. She thanked the audience for their warm welcome to Chicago, passionately performing her hit song “Good Looking” as a token of her appreciation. Throughout her brief set, Waterhouse continuously expressed her gratitude to Laufey for providing her with this opportunity.
As the overhead lights dimmed, the crowd hushed and the intricately crafted animation took over the head of the stage, cursive blue words spelling out “A Matter of Time, Act I.” The audience greeted Laufey with an explosion of cheers and screams as she stepped out onto the stage in a frilly yellow dress, her hair decorated with shiny clips and eyes glowing from her shimmery eyeshadow. She began the night with “Clockwork,” the opening track of her newest album A Matter of Time.
Laufey continued to gracefully perform each of her songs, including “Lover Girl” and “Silver Lining”, during which she switched back and forth from her guitar to the majestic grand piano in the middle of the stage. During each song, background dancers dressed in bouncy skirts and colorful tops popped in and out of the stage, hitting every beat with their sharp, intricately choreographed moves. They incorporated graceful bits of ballet while maintaining a quickness that mimicked Laufey’s signature jazz tone. Laufey herself also danced, her voice remaining steady and strong as she playfully jumped up and down to the beats of her songs.
Act I blurred into Act II when Laufey brought some of her newer songs to life. She introduced her track “Too Little, Too Late,” a song imagined from the male perspective of a romantic relationship that ended on bad terms. Though the lighting shifted from purple to blue, the setlist and the energy for both acts felt similar — similar enough to where it left me wondering if there was even an intentional shift between the acts at all.
However, the crowd became ecstatic when Laufey revealed Act III of her show as a jazz reverb session of many of her older songs. Picking up her guitar, she strummed the first few notes of her hit single “Let You Break My Heart Again,” her beaming smile and waves to the audience showcasing a fun and nostalgic reflection on her previous albums, the catalysts to her successful career. The audience, quickly picking up on the faster yet jazzier tone of the song, sang along in harmony to lyrics like “I’m just tryna understand what I am to you / More than songs, we’ve exchanged / Midnight calls, sunset views”. While Laufey intentionally changed the originally slower and mellower vibe of the song, she maintained the innocently questioning tone emblematic of its studio release.
A special aspect of Laufey’s tour is the concept of the “best dressed” fan. For each city in her tour, Laufey selects someone in the crowd and crowns them the “best dressed.” The trend that has picked up traction on her fans’ TikToks as they brainstorm creative outfits for the concerts, giving her audiences something to anticipate beyond the music and performance. Laufey took a minute to personally greet the best dressed fan, who was dressed as a cello — the instrument Laufey grew up playing. The rest of the audience cheered in support as the flustered fan thanked Laufey for the award and briefly chatted with her from the stage.
Not only is the A Matter of Time Tour a way for Laufey to showcase her appreciation for her fans’ support, it also serves as a testament to her journey to get to where she is today. Before she performed her final song of the night, she had a heart-to-heart moment with the audience, admitting how shocked her younger self would be by where she is today. That speech perfectly segued into Laufey’s final song of the night, “Letter To My 13 Year Old Self,” from her 2023 hit album Bewitched.
While it is indeed a letter to her younger self, she stated that it was also a message for all the young teenage girls in the audience who may be battling similar insecurities and worries, serving as another way to express her love and care for her fanbase. As the final notes faded and cheers filled the air, it was clear that Laufey’s Chicago stop on the A Matter of Time Tour wasn’t just a concert — it was a celebration of growth, gratitude and the magic of finding beauty in every moment.
Daily Arts Writer Emily Kim can be reached at kimemily@umich.edu.
