Lana Del Rey has stolen our hearts on her Norman Fucking Rockwell Tour, which comes in support of her latest album of the same name.
Norman Fucking Rockwell features singles "Mariners Apartment Complex," "Venice Bitch," "Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me To Have - But I Have It," "Doin' Time," "The Greatest" and "Norman Fucking Rockwell." It was released August 30 by Polydor and Interscope Records.
Del Rey kicked off her accompanying trek in September, and has invited other artists to join her on stage each night including the likes of Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast), Weyes Blood, Chris Isaak, Jack Antonoff and others. You can check out her full list of dates below!
Throughout the run, the California queen has been highlighting songs off the new album like "Bartender," "Cinnamon Girl" and of course, its title track. She's also been playing a select few songs from Born to Die, Lust for Life and Ultraviolence, like "Video Games," "Shades of Cool" and "White Mustang."
Here's the setlist from her recent show in Madison, Wisconsin.
Cue up our NFR Tour Setlist Playlist on Spotify, and keep reading for a closer look at some of the new songs Lana is playing on the road!
"Norman Fucking Rockwell"
"Your poetry's bad and you blame the news."
That is just one of many of the lyrical gems in the NFR title track. Fans and critics can agree that the song is one of Del Rey's best – and easily one of her most quotable.
The singer has opened every show on the NFR Tour with "Norman Fucking Rockwell" so far, and says it's about a genius artist who thinks he's – her words – "the shit."
Del Rey says she modeled both this song and the entire album on this concept.
"It was kind of an exclamation mark: so this is the American dream, right now. This is where we’re at — Norman fucking Rockwell," she said.
"We’re going to go to Mars, and Trump is president, all right... But it’s not a cynical thing, really. To me, it’s hopeful, to see everything as a little bit funnier. The chaos of the culture is interesting, and I’m hopeful that there’s room for there to be some movement and excitement within it."
"Blue Jeans"
It's not Thursday, but this is one heck of a throwback. "Blue Jeans" appeared on Del Rey's 2012 sophomore masterpiece, Born to Die, and has become one of her signature tracks over the years (in 2018, Rolling Stone named it one of the best songs of the century!)
The song is her second most-played live, with 252 performances thus far. It falls short of "Video Games," which has been played live 258 times since its 2011 debut.
"Blue Jeans" nods at Del Rey's hip-hop influences, with trip hop tendencies and infectious minimalist beats.
It even has two music videos! Watch:
"Cinnamon Girl"
Speaking of trip hop – "Cinnamon Girl" stands out on the new album in more ways than one. Most notably, it channels Del Rey's hip-hop tendancies that fans have grown to love in songs like "High By the Beach," "National Anthem" and "Coachella – Woodstock on my Mind."
Not to mention, it shares the name of a Neil Young classic. Del Rey proudly pays homage to her influences, and has even referenced Young's legendary 1969 song in 2017's "Get Free," singing:
"And now I do, I wanna move out of the black and into the blue."
She's only played "Cinnamon Girl" 6 times on tour... check out its debut performance in Seattle:
"Venice Bitch"
"Venice Bitch" was released as NFR's second promotional single, following "Mariners Apartment Complex," and serves as a love letter to California.
With a runtime of 9 minutes and 36 seconds, it's Del Rey's longest song to date. Its hypnotic electric guitars and wavy synths give it an atmospheric listening experience – and it's unlike anything else she's ever put out.
"Venice Bitch" has been played live at every single show on the NFR Tour.
Critics say the track evokes classic psychedelic 60s songs like Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover" (which she also references in the lyrics) and The Beach Boys' "Surfer Girl."
Del Rey has a few shows left on this leg of the Norman Fucking Rockwell Tour before embarking on her European trek in February.
See her list of NFR Tour dates below, and head to her website for ticket information.
North American dates:
11/11 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
11/13 – Omaha, NE @ Orpheum Theatre
11/14 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
11/16 – Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion
11/17 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion
11/19 – Nashville, TN @ Municipal Auditorium
European + UK dates:
02/21 – Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome
02/23 – Paris, FR @ Accorhotels Arena
02/25 – London, UK @ The O2
02/26 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Arena
02/28 – Glasgow, UK @ SSE Hydro
02/29 – Birmingham UK @ Resorts World Arena
03/02 – Berlin, DE @ Mercedes Benz Arena
03/03 – Cologne, DE @ Lanxess Aren
