CHICAGO– Lily Allen and David Harbour’s tour of their West Village apartment is my favorite Architectural Digest home tour. In it, viewers see the layouts and patterns that they specifically designed to fit their home. Lily Allen would never, ever imagine using those exact designs to dress the set for her “West End Girl” tour. Following the release of the album of the same name, Lily Allen kicked off her North America tour in Chicago for her two-show stay at The Auditorium Theatre.
The London-born singer based the album around her own personal relationship, highlighting just how messy love can be. In it, we’re introduced to her experience with an open marriage, one sided devotion, and proposed the question of, “who the f*** is Madeline?” While Allen has had many other hits like “Smile,” “F**k You”, and “LDN,” she only performed “West End Girl” front to back.
While some fans came anticipating to jam out to the older tracks, the setlist was condensed just to the songs on the album. The show opened with the title track “West End Girl,” having a re-enacted phone call with her ex as he tells her about how he wants to change their relationship to an open one. From here, we go directly into the rest of the album, kicking it off with “Ruminating.”
The party didn’t stop there, while the comparable older hits are considered her most fun, the album has some very upbeat songs, like “Nonmonogomummy” and “Dallas Major.” During the show I would scan the crowd while I was mid-dance party and see everyone doing the exact same half-dance-half-headbang move that I was doing.
From here, the show goes into different sets, props, and songs. From an exact replica of their shared room to a trail of receipts of things that her ex bought his mistress, the performance was nothing short of entertaining, as well as juicy.
She ended with “Fruityloop,” the album’s powerful closer about acceptance and making amends with things that are out of our control. A stagehand brought her flowers as the neon pink “West End Girl” sign gleamed over her head, as well as a beaming smile from the accomplished performer.
###