Lorde – Spark Arena: February 11, 2026 (13th Floor Concert Review)
Lorde brought her Ultrasound World Tour to Auckland’s Spark Arena last night…a celebration of 12 years of a truly incredible career.
And one that almost had come to an end.
Lorde stopped mid-show to explain to her fans how Virgin was an “unexpected” album,
“I genuinely thought I wasn’t going to make any more music”, she shared. “I grew up pretty fast and I felt I had lost contact with some precious part of me. And so I decided that if I was going to make any more music, I had to really go back and strip it all down and find what was under here. It was a process, let me tell you that”.
It felt like this show was the culmination of that process.
The fans came in all sizes, shapes, ages and genders, many dressed to emulate their favourite version of Lorde.
So, it became immediately clear, the moment the lights went down, that this was much more that a concert.
A shaft of light pierced that dark stage as Lorde began the 4-act set with Hammer, the opening track from Virgin, before launching into…Royals….yes, her biggest hit was done and dusted ten minutes into the show…a ballsy move if there ever was one.
“We’ve got a lot of catching up do do”, the 29-year-old Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor declared on an almost empty stage.
The band was hidden, the dancers were on and off…all eyes were on Lorde and she sounded confident, defiant and triumphant.
The wardrobe changes were minimal. “Its hot in here, Auckland!” she announce before stripping off her jeans and writing on stage in her Calvin Kleins.
The feeling of community grew stronger as the set went on.
There was singing, swaying, arm waving and phone flashing…but overall, the evening overcame cliché and transcended to something truly communal.
When Lorde stopped to chat, it felt spontaneous and genuine despite the fact that this was the 45th show of the tour.
But it was the first in Auckland and that made all the difference.
The home-town crowd was even more thrilled (if that was even possible) when, for the final two songs, Lorde appeared at the back of the arena, singing a stinging David and the finale, Ribs, from the “B” stage.
After witnessing last night’s show, I, and 12,000 of her closest friends will be very keen to see and hear what direction Lorde takes next. Because so far, this has been quite a ride.
Marty Duda
Photos by Sam Penn
