Panorama Music Festival 2018 Saturday Soundbites: Olivia Noelle, Sigrid, Japanese Breakfast, SZA

Olivia Noelle

Returning to Panorama after Friday’s tragic rainout, indie pop singer Olivia Noelle delivered an excellent performance at the Bud Light Dive Bar Stage. Noelle was originally scheduled to perform on Friday, but was unable to perform under the circumstances, returning instead on Saturday. Noelle paid tribute to the corporate overlords at Anheuser-Busch with her ballad to drinking and loving, “Fck Around & Fall in Luv.” Olivia Noelle, in being the only cancelled artist from Friday’s debacle to return to the festival on Saturday, has certainly been a force for good at this year’s festival. Although Noelle is not particularly well-known compared to other artists at Panorama, she certainly won herself some new fans with her return to the festival and her dynamic performance in the intimate venue.

Sigrid

Sigrid was the definition of vibrant. The young Norwegian star appeared on stage in colorful pants to a mixed crowd, filled with drunken teenagers and young families alike—all of whom she won over instantly with her fun and lively performance style. With her band dressed all in black, it was clear who we were here to see. Sigrid’s performance electrified the crowd as she performed her power-pop fight song, “Shots Fired.” Sigrid brought further energy and audience participation with a performance of the urgent “High Five,” which wonders if it’s worth looking for shallow approval if all you end up with is “high fives” in the end. Sigrid ended things with a fantastic performance of her hit, “Strangers,” to close out the set. While Sigrid may be eschewed by the brooklynite hipster scene for being too bubblegum-pop, she is an exceptional performer and delivered some much needed energy to the festival.

Japanese Breakfast

After 20 minutes of technical issues and unfortunate feedback screeches, Japanese Breakfast was well worth the wait and the tinnitus risk. Japanese Breakfast (aka Michelle Zauner) brought a more alternative-rock energy to Panorama. Instead of trap drums and synthesizers, Japanese Breakfast came to the Pavilion stage with her own impassioned voice, twinkling guitar, kickin’ drums, and a welcome change in pace to the festival. Her songs, at once haunting and enthralling, captured a slightly older audience for the festival. For all of the wait, the mixing sounded excellent; the guitar’s flanger pedal created a pleasing shimmering sort of sound as the sine waves oscillated. The penultimate song Zauner performed was a phenomenal cover of The Cranberries’ “Dreams.” Japanese Breakfast gave an impressive vocal performance with the melancholy wails at the end of the chorus originally belted by Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries. The inclusion of more alternative artists, such as Japanese Breakfast, makes Panorama a much more complete festival, with appeal to many sorts of music lovers and other festival-goers. Japanese Breakfast proved that Panorama attracts not only big name artists, but quality alternative acts.

SZA

The lights glowed red as SZA came onstage at Panorama, a potential savior for the flailing festival. Following Panorama’s long line of cancellations and technical difficulties, expectations were low. SZA began her set with “Supermodel,” which immediately commanded the crowd’s attention with a strong vocal performance and an active stage presence. SZA flew across the stage dancing, taken with the song. SZA also engaged the crowd with her personal life, quipping “I’m going through a break up now—and it’s ass.” She dedicated her next song, “Drew Barrymore” to her ex, and delivered a beautifully felt performance backed by a montage of clips of Drew Barrymore on the main screens, starting from a child actress playing a young Barrymore and gradually rising in age to current day Barrymore, growing up before our eyes over the course of the song. It was a surprisingly gripping performance that worked spectacularly well. The non-traditional video worked excellently with the lyric content of the song, which discusses the difficulties of not being who someone wants you to be. SZA’s performance was captivating and her sound quality was excellent, and there were no technical issues at all. SZA delivered a fantastic show, complete with top-notch vocal chops, endearing personal anecdotes, and eye-catching movie and lighting design—a triumphant performance.

—Staff writer Josh M. Grossman can be reached at josh.grossman@thecrimson.com.