King opened her set with the haunting yet crisp acoustic ballad “Can’t Be Loved.” It was followed by the upbeat “Good to Be a Man,” which had neat banjo instrumentation to it, and she noted that it was the song that earned her a record label and she performs it over the world. “How is everybody doing tonight?” she asked, prior to complimenting Beacon Theatre for being a beautiful venue.
“Good For Nothin’ Woman” was an up-tempo and spitfire tune. Her vocals on “Under the Influence” were distinct and crisp.
Her version of The Beatles’ “Oh! Darling” was empowering and moving. The highlight song in her set was her electrifying performance of her hit radio single “Ex’s & Oh’s,” where the entire venue was reciting the lyrics verbatim to her.
“Ok. Thank you all for being here. I just gotta saying something because I have a microphone,” she said, prior to making a statement about body-image and beauty. “Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Find what makes you an individual and what makes you stand out,” she added, prior to wishing everybody “Happy Holidays.” She closed her set with “Last Damn Night.”
The Verdict
Overall, Elle King was superb at Beacon Theatre in New York. This female singer-songwriter is poised for super-stardom in the music industry. She is like the pop version of country mega-star Miranda Lambert. She may have been a little unfiltered, but her attitude was infectious. Her live set at Beacon Theatre earned 4.5 out of 5 stars.
