Winter 2019: Robyn Concert Report for LIBS1480 Music Course

This is a concert report written by a student who attended Robyn's concert at the Rebel Nightclub in Toronto on March 14, 2019, as part of a music course assignment. The report details the choice of the performance, influenced by the student's prior experiences with Robyn's music and the buzz surrounding her recent shows. The report covers various aspects of the concert, including the music performed (analyzing melody, rhythm, and other musical elements), the physical setting and its impact, and the quality of the performance. It also offers a brief overview of Robyn's career and the student's overall enjoyment of the show. The report references several articles related to Robyn's Honey tour and her broader career.

ROBYN CONCERT REPORT 1
Concert Report: Robyn
Student Name
Student Number
Course Name and/or Course Code
Course Instructor
Due Date

ROBYN CONCERT REPORT 2
1. Start by providing basic information about the performance – date, location,
music performed and explain why you chose the performance.
On Thursday night, the 14th of March, I attended a music concert by the Swedish
pop star Robyn at the Rebel Nightclub in Toronto, Ontario (Rebel, 2018). Having
attended her Röyksopp and Field Trip concerts in 2014 and 2016 respectively, I was
overjoyed when she announced an upcoming concert for the year 2019 in Toronto, in
support of her latest Honey album (Bunt, 2018). I was also particularly enthusiastic after
the massive success of her North-American concert at Madison Square Garden, which
took place just one week before her concert in Toronto.
My fascination with this Swedish sensation began one lazy afternoon when I was
shuffling through one of my cousin’s favorite music playlists. I took notice of one specific
song, which I immediately noted was a pop rendition of one of the greatest
contemporary R&B hits of the late 2000s – Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart by Alicia
Keys. While I am more often biased towards original versions, I was drawn to the
sincerity that her version portrayed. During the cover, she even playfully laughs at
herself after she forgot a few words of the lyrics, and this made me realize that she was,
in a way, different from other international pop artists. Robyn, whose full name is Robin
Miriam Carlsson, has had an unconventional music career which she began as a
teenager in the mid-1990s. She vanished after having performed at the MTV Music
Video Awards in 2010 because she was turned down by an American music label; she
has now returned through her label (Ganz, 2018), and with a more intriguing, pristine,
and accessible type of music which would easily resound with anyone. Her dedication

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towards her music career is, therefore, the main reason why I decided to attend her
concert yet again.
2. Identify and discuss some of the materials of music that stood out for you –
melody, rhythm, harmony, texture, form, tempo, dynamics or timbre.
Robyn performed a total of 19 songs during her concert. The tickets to the event
were sold out, a clear indication that the Swedish pop star will probably require a bigger
venue in her next performance in Toronto (Freeman, 2019). Her band entailed only five
pieces, three of which were a piano, keyboard, and guitar, all perfectly complimented
her new sound which is a blend of trance, disco, and North-American 90s house. Her
new album is primarily a refinement of her minimalist type of music since each of her
songs are highly reminiscent of her 90s teen pop wave, such as, her 90s hit single titled
Show Me Love. During the concert, Robyn seamlessly blended the new album’s mid-
tempo tunes and idiosyncratic deviations with a strong vocal performance which brought
out the emotion and authenticity behind some of the album’s pop ballads.
3. Include your observations on the physical aspects of the performance (concert
hall, dress, lighting, design, kinds of people present, etc.) and how it affected
your experience.
A majority of Robin’s music embodies the challenges one often faces in romantic
relationships. Her greatest hits, such as, Call Your Girlfriend, and Dancing On My Own
perfectly reflect people’s common selfish desires as brought about their own insecurities
and vulnerabilities. Her fan-base therefore predominantly consists of women and
queers. Her first sighting at the concert was when she entered with a silhouette. She
then appeared from the back of the stage that was covered in a sheer white fabric.

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Robyn wore a white mini-dress with an asymmetrical hemline that had embroidered
floral details at the chest. She rhythmically moved towards a giant sculpture which
looked like waving hands, and sang while golden lights lit her stage. Her main position
throughout the performance was, however, at the center of the stage.
Robyn performed with zeal, and allowed the crowd to sing along. She
purposefully left spaces in between her tracks, such as, in Beach 2K20, for a dance
break, and also brought out an interpretive dancer to entertain the crowd during one of
her costume and hair changes. In preparation of a much livelier dance performance
during the second half of the concert, Robyn wore a red bodysuit made of lace, and a
cropped blazer to match. The interpretive dancer helped her put on the blazer in a
playful dance routine with synched moves to the beat of the track Because It’s In The
Music.
4. Make some musical observations: quality of performance, type of music, etc. Try
to use terminology from class to describe the music and to demonstrate your
understanding and appreciation of the music performed.
Since Robyn is a highly emotive singer, she embraced her early 80s cosmic
disco style of music. She was particularly passionate towards the end of the concert as
she sang Dancing On My Own, during which she paused periodically to allow her fans
to sing along. Her other songs, like, Call Your Girlfriend are rather nonmetric and begin
with the chorus whereas, Dancing On My Own has polyrhythmic falsetto in its interludes
which allowed for the pauses. The overall quality of performance was good despite the
few moments with sprawling sounds, and an over-reliance on backing tracks to fill in the
layers for the secondary vocals and instrumentation.

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5. Provide a brief overview of the musician(s) – write about their personal and
professional life. You’ll need to do a bit of research for this!
Robyn has always been a soft-spoken person from early childhood. She barely
says more than ten words during her entire performances because she believes in
giving fans their money’s worth. Her first ever public performance was in a low-key Café
Opera, with her brother Jac doubling as both the D.J. and dancer. Robyn is different
from other pop-start since, unlike everyone else, she has managed to seek success
without an overly-sexualized image, has worked with a close-knit group of collaborators,
and has never solicited hit tracks from song writers.
6. State whether you enjoyed or did not enjoy the performance and why.
Despite the rejections she has faced, her relationship failures, the sudden death
of one of her collaborators, and the hurdles of starting her own record label, Robyn has
returned triumphant, and that’s why I will always look forward to her next concert (Ganz,
2018). The concert was very entertaining and gave us a great opportunity to dance to
the quick tempo sessions under fast, strobing lights.

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References
Bunt, A. (2018, November 18). Robyn Announces ‘Honey’ Tour Dates. Retrieved from
SeatGeek: https://seatgeek.com/tba/music/robyn-honey-tour-dates-tickets-setlist/
Freeman, J. (2019, March 12). In Robyn We Trust: Singer Gives Fans Everything on
‘Honey’ Tour. Retrieved from The Rolling Stone:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/robyn-honey-tour-boston-
house-blues-807044/
Ganz, C. (2018, September 21). How Robyn, Pop’s Glittery Rebel, Danced Her Way
Back From Darkness. Retrieved from The New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/arts/music/robyn-honey-interview.html
Rebel. (2018). Robyn: March 14, 2019. Retrieved from Rebel Toronto:
https://rebeltoronto.com/events/robyn-03-14-2019-2/