Uncut Collective Media
Lights Brings Synth-Pop Intimacy and Electric Energy to Phoenix on Her (A)LIVE AGAIN Tour
May 22, 2025 • by Phyoe Thaung
Fresh off the launch of her A(LIVE) AGAIN tour, Lights brought her synth-drenched sound to Phoenix’s Crescent Ballroom for one of the first stops in support of her sixth studio album A6. The Canadian alt-pop mainstay delivered a set that was equal parts emotional excavation and late-night neon glow—a performance that felt more like a reconnection than a rollout.
She opened with “Day Two,” a shimmering pulse that immediately grounded the night in the textures of A6. It was followed by the sharper, emotionally punchy “Damage,” which, even early in the set, pulled a visible reaction from the front row—hands pressed to hearts, lyrics mouthed like muscle memory.
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While this tour is built around A6, Lights didn’t ignore the roots. “Okay Okay” and “Running With the Boys” brought early cheers, their energy buoyed by years of fan connection. But it was songs like “White Paper Palm Trees” and “Siberia” that really demonstrated how comfortably she bridges eras—songs from different albums woven together like they were always meant to sit side by side.
The production was minimal by pop standards—clever lighting and a tight band—but that restraint made room for dynamic shifts. Nowhere was that more evident than on “Ghost Girl on First,” a standout from the new record. Lights described it as “Midwest emo,” and the jagged, guitar-forward vibe hit with a kind of raw sincerity that felt earned, not calculated.​
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Mid-set, she went solo for “Pretend” and “Up We Go,” two stripped-down cuts that brought the room into a hush. These weren’t filler moments—they were recalibrations. Her voice, clear and unfiltered, gave the night’s emotional arc a heartbeat.
Then came the turn: “Suspension” lifted the mood again, and “Batshit” pushed it over the edge. The final stretch—“Surface Tension,” “Clingy,” “Speeding”—kept the crowd in motion, each track escalating in tempo without losing her signature emotional clarity.
“Piranha” and “Grip” closed the main set on a high that felt unflinching. She returned for a two-song encore that tied it all together: “Love Me” landed with its usual precision—tender but assertive—and then, as expected, she closed with “Alive Again,” a full-blooded title track that felt like both a send-off and a promise.
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Lights didn’t need to overhaul her sound to make this tour feel meaningful. What she offered in Phoenix was a portrait of evolution: steady, intentional, and honest.