As has become custom for Stromae, the Belgian singer took a pause during his hit song “Sante” to thank literally everyone involved in the show he put on for a sold-out crowd at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on the Friday of Halloween weekend: His band mates; his stage crew; his assistant, also known as his wife and the mother of his child; his producer, better known as his brother. Stromae even took a moment to thank his agent from UTA for pitching him on a U.S. arena tour about which even the performer himself hinted at some doubts, though after seeing the spectacular display of light, color, and sound that Stromae and company brought to L.A.—some six months after wowing crowds at Coachella—it’s a wonder how the artist born Paul Van Haver could have had any doubts, and why he didn’t take a show like this on the road years ago.
In his defense, Stromae had at least some reason to wonder whether his music would still resonate with audiences across the proverbial pond. His latest release, 2022’s Multitude, came nine years after his previous release, 2013’s Racine carrée, and nearly 13 years removed from the release of his global smash hit single “Alors on danse”. But between his own talent and swagger, along with the mind-blowing light show behind him, Stromae proved to be more than worthy of adulation in the eyes of American audiences.
Whether mimicking his animated avatar on a lounge chair during the back-to-back of “Mauvaise journee” into “Bonne journee”, showing off dance moves of his own to “Papaoutai”, or serenading attendees with “Formidable”, Stromae struck every chord to be expected of an international pop star.
Unlike most standouts of his kind, though, Stromae had ample competition for attention from the setup all around him. Chief among those delightful distractions was a set of 15 screens—three rows of five, the highest of which had a dizzying array of lights on the back—all manipulated by robotic arms that looked like they were pulled off the line at a car manufacturing plant. Rather than build vehicles, these contraptions constructed entire worlds to accompany each song.
During “Pas vraiment”, the robots arranged into the facade of an apartment building, with each screen serving as a window into a different slice of everyday life. On “L’enfer”, those same screens folded inward, only to reveal stunning images of storms amid lights like thunder each time the chorus struck.
When those animatronics weren’t wilding out, the screens formed a palette upon which Stromae’s animated avatar—mini-buns and all—could dance and frolic behind the man himself. All the while, he was joined on stage by four musicians from all around the world, each of whom maintained his post behind a station of sound that offered up its own light tricks.
Taken together, these elements served to stimulate an already rapt crowd into sheer pop-tastic ecstasy. That all reached a crescendo during the encore, when Stromae and company returned to the stage to perform “Alors on danse” following a cartoon that seemed to briefly recount the smash track’s humble origins. Instead of ending the evening on that explosive note, though, Stromae gathered the band around a plain microphone for an a cappella reprise of “Mon amour”. This as if to prove that, for all the bells and whistles at his disposal, Stromae’s strengths as a musician and songwriter are more than enough to captivate a packed house.
Those skills will be put to the test as Stromae takes his act back to Europe for a stacked 2023 tour. But first, he and his superlative team will look to cement their foothold in America across consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City this November.
Stromae – “Formidable” – 10/28/22
[Video: Henrik Mosesi]
Stromae – “Riez” – 10/28/22
[Video: M. C.]
Stromae – “Alors on danse” – 10/28/22
[Video: Henrik Mosesi]
Setlist: Stromae | Shrine Auditorium | Los Angeles, CA | 10/28/22
Set: Invaincu, Fils de joie, Tous les mêmes, Mon amour, La solassitude, Quand c’est ?, Mauvaise journée, Bonne journée, Papaoutai, Ta fête, Pas vraiment, Formidable, Riez, L’enfer, C’est que du bonheur, Santé
Encore: Alors on danse, Mon amour [1]
[1] A capella