toronto, canada - april 20, 2025

From the minute the doors open at Toronto’s iconic The Concert Hall (also known as the Masonic Temple), the building is buzzing with excited energy for Orla Gartland at the first stop of the North American leg of her The Hero Tour. The Irish singer-songwriter is met with a chorus of cheers and screaming from the second she steps on stage all the way to the end of the set.

Orla Gartland is a master of balancing the emotion and self deprecating honesty of much of her discography with the light hearted atmosphere she creates within her show, joking with the audience in between songs and dancing across the stage. The setlist is dominated by tracks off of her latest full length album, Everybody Needs a Hero, and the audience is more than happy to sing along to every word.

Gartland takes the time to let the audience a little more into her world, sharing small anecdotes about many of the songs that grace the setlist. Distinguished from the setlist as “the villain anthem of the Hero album”, “Three Words Away” is met with resounding excitement as the audience jumps and dances along. Not shying away from the older songs in the setlist, “Oh GOD” is described as “the biggest, gayest song” she’s ever written, and the first chord of “Madison” is met with an overwhelming cheer from the crowd, as Gartland pauses to appreciate the dedication of her fans before fully launching into the song.

Despite the upbeat happy atmosphere of the show, the band steps off the stage for a more reflective and emotional moment, as Gartland states that the next track, “Mine” is the most “devastating, hopeful, and honest thing” she’s ever written. Moving through the setlist, she teases the possibility of a deluxe version of the Everybody Needs a Hero record with her latest single “Now What?”, released earlier this month, which is met with just as much excitement as the rest of the setlist.

Moving back into the self proclaimed “party section of the setlist”, Orla drives the energy in the room back up with a cover of Chappell Roan’s Red Wine Supernova. After “Backseat Driver” and “Zombie!”, Gartland winks at the audience, declaring “This is where we participate in a little lie - This is our last song!, I’m sorry we just don’t know anymore sooonnngggss” and kicks off into “Late to the Party”. To the delight of the audience, Gartland and her band later return to the stage for a 2 song encore before dancing off the stage once more.

Right at the beginning of the North American leg of The Hero Tour, Orla Gartland is not a show to miss. Promising a night full of dancing, lighthearted jokes, and good music, this is a must see show for both new and old fans alike. Continuing this run into mid-May before returning to the States again in August for more shows, be sure to catch Orla Gartland while you can.