Jordana Plays Energizing and Distinct Show at The ‘Sco
november 16, 2024 - oberlin, ohio
Photos by Lucy Curtis
At the end of a gray November day, concertgoers filed into The Dionysus Disco—more commonly known as The ‘Sco—at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. Though a show primarily meant for students, some fans admitted they’d traveled far distances to see Jordana at such an intimate venue.
After a riveting performance by the opening band, False Spring, the crowd packed even closer together, eagerly awaiting Jordana and her band. She walked on stage casually, calmly adjusting the microphone and propping a Gumby figure on the stand—audibly sparking interest from some fans. Once she seemed ready, and made eye contact with bandmates, she addressed the crowd: “Hellooooo Oberlin!” she said in a falsified and exaggerated British accent. The audience, clearly excited about this, responded in a similar tone. Then, the show began.
Her first song, “SYT,” was powerful and energizing. Though the recorded version of the song is an excellent rendition, hearing it live gave it a new life. At the start of the chorus, Jordana’s voice rang out, silencing the room. “Save your tears / Save your breath for me,” she called out. It was the perfect choice for an opening track; it showed off her strong vocals and sucked the crowd in, setting the room up for a wonderful show.
The next two songs, “Pressure Point” and “To The Ground,” kept up the vibes. The former opens with the lyrics “You know you put yourself through this / Caved into another blissed out wish.” The song, though upbeat, is about an anxiety attack, and she sang it out with passion. Jordana is the kind of performer where you can tell she truly cares about what she’s doing. Her singing was nothing but wholehearted; because she was obviously invested, the audience was invested as well.
At one point, she chatted with the audience about her day before the show. For those unfamiliar, Oberlin is a small town about half an hour to forty five minutes away from the nearest city, Cleveland. It is a charming, tight-knit community, and it seemed that Jordana truly took an interest. “I’ve never been here,” she admitted, but then discussed how much she enjoyed herself. When she said that she went to the local record store, everyone cheered. To the crowd’s amazement, she then explained how she went to a consignment shop in town, and that is where she purchased the outfit she was wearing for the show. “I saw it and thought, ‘that’s for me,’” she said.
The next song was the fun, pop beat of “Play Fair,” and this is when it seemed that she really got comfortable, dancing around and generally having a good time. Then, before one of her most popular songs, “Summer’s Over,” she encouraged the audience to sing along if they knew the words. This was the first song that she would play off of her album of the same title, which is a collaborative album with the band TV Girl. The album is an intriguing piece of music to begin with, as it truly blends the sounds of both artists. It was interesting to hear the rendition of “Summer’s Over” live, because while TV Girl was not present on stage, Jordana still managed to capture that distinctive feel of the song and album.
After “You’re in the Way,” she moved into what might’ve been one of the best songs of the night, “I Mean That.” She belted out the beginning of the chorus, “Take me back, take me back / Let me learn all over again,” and her sincere emotion was apparent.
Next, she played “We Get By,” the first track off of her newest album, Lively Premonition. Despite the song being newer and perhaps less well-known, the audience remained engaged and excited.
During “Why,” it became apparent why there was a Gumby figure sitting on the microphone stand all night. For the performance, she started holding the figure and using it as a prop, pretending to sing to it, holding it close to her chest, and even placing it back down so she could mimic its hands held up in the air. The crowd found this thrilling.
The next three songs, “Sweet to Dream,” “Better in the Dark,” and “Jump the Turnstile” were consistent with the high quality of the show. Before the final track of the night, she asked the crowd—which mainly consisted of college students—what they were studying. Upon one fan shouting out that they were an English major, she asked, “What do you think about the Oxford comma?” After an enthusiastic response from more than one audience member, she grinned and started playing the introductory guitar riff of Vampire Weekend’s “Oxford Comma.” Then, receiving an overwhelmingly positive reaction, she continued to play Vampire Weekend riffs for other songs such as “A-Punk.”
Finally, she performed “Anything For You,” ending the night with an emotional and gripping ballad. She encouraged fans to stick around and say hi, and proved to be a joyful presence.
