Concert Reviews

A Berklee College of Music alumna, Laufey dazzled and delighted in her Boston homecoming with a five-act performance filled with whimsy, nostalgia, and undeniable talent.

Laufey, with Suki Waterhouse, at TD Garden, Boston, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.

Laufey is a dreamer. She’s a goddess. She’s a lover girl.

Closing out the North American leg of her “A Matter of Time” Tour, the Icelandic-Chinese singer and multi-instrumentalist dazzled and delighted the sold-out crowd in Boston with a two-hour, five-act-plus-encore performance that resembled a magical storybook come to life.

For the 2021 graduate from Berklee College of Music, Monday night’s show at TD Garden was a homecoming filled with nostalgia, manifestation of one’s dreams, and a trip down memory lane.

“It feels so symbolic to end here in Boston. I love this city so much,” Laufey said. “I’ve written songs about it. I feel like I grew up here in so, so many ways. I feel like I became a woman here.”

Reflecting on the emotions that come with finding oneself and pursuing one’s big dreams, Laufey added, “Boston is a city for walking and crying, am I right? How many of you have cried publicly in Boston?” The audience roared to confirm.

The stage, draped in red curtains, set the tone, guiding the audience as the lights shifted between different intensity levels throughout the performance.

Just before Laufey, pronounced “lay-vay,” took the stage, moving spots flashed as the curtain dramatically dropped to reveal an imperial staircase flanked by a musical ensemble, including a string quartet. With the feel of a classic black-and-white film intro, “Laufey presents ‘A Matter of Time’” appeared on the screen as credits rolled on the side screens, listing the names of the dancers and musicians.

Laufey soon emerged from beneath the staircase in a sparkly pink outfit with a poofy skirt, silver crown and shimmering ballet flats, and an overall aura that closely resembled Glinda the Good Witch.

As she opened the show with “Clockwork,” she tapped, twirled, and high-kicked her way up and down the staircase, even pausing to enjoy a moment in a large swing atop the steps. It felt like at any moment, she might just pull out a little “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” with the microphone serving as her wand.

For her first arena tour, Laufey knew how to fill the space, delivering a performance filled with heart and theatrics, but most of all, undeniable musical talent.

Classically trained in cello and piano, the jazz-pop singer-songwriter made sure to show off her many skills throughout the set, bouncing from one instrument to the next — her voice shining just as strong throughout.

Her four backing dancers, clad in blue-and-gold, marching band-inspired outfits and gold-heeled booties, sashayed their way around the stage, adding whimsy, flair, and graceful movement to the production.

A long runway extended from the main stage, ending in a large clock, a nod to the name of both the tour and Laufey’s latest album.

Later in night, during “Tough Luck” in Act IV, Laufey rode the hour hand on the clock, spinning as she sang the chorus just before the bridge: “Tough luck, my boy, your time is up / I’ll break it first, I’ve had enough / Of waiting ’til you lie and cheat / Just like you did to the actress before me.”

As big as the performance felt with costume changes and a large set, it was also quite intimate. In Act II, Laufey shed her poofy skirt and appeared back on stage in a jazz-era flapper dress. The singer declared, “Welcome to my jazz club,” as she positioned herself atop the clock part of the stage with a ribbon microphone, a cellist, a pianist, and a drummer — the rest of the stage lights dimmed around them.

“I’m a combination — a terrible combination — of orchestra kid, theater kid, Berklee kid and hopeless romantic,” Laufey explained.

Every bit of the production tapped into Laufey’s lyrics and complemented the stories she told via her music. In Act III, just before Laufey performed “Carousel,” the crew repositioned the imperial staircase in a way that made it resemble the amusement park ride. Images of carousel horses appeared on the screen, as the dancers twirled clear umbrellas.

For Laufey, the peak of the show likely came in Act IV while performing “Promise,” as the whole arena seemed to know every word.

“You just created a core memory for me,” she told the audience after. “When someone tells me to go to my happy place, this is my happy place.”

Before the headliner took the stage, show opener Suki Waterhouse delivered a sultry, dramatic, roughly 40-minute set. Donning an all-black ensemble, the indie pop singer, who released her sophomore album “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin” last year, hid behind sunglasses for a couple of songs before she let herself be truly known to the arena space. As she took her shades off, she revealed a pop of color and sparkle on her eyelids and genuine gratitude in her eyes for the opportunity to share her music with such a large audience.

From high-tempo songs like “Supersad” and “OMG” to hits with more distinct vocals like “Johanna” and “Good Looking,” Waterhouse complemented the overall energy of the tour well. It’s no wonder why Laufey has referred to the artist as her “tour sister.”

Many fans took the time and care to dress up for Monday night’s show. The audience was a sea of felt crowns, hair ribbons, ballet shoes, long skirts and dresses, suits, bunny ears, nods to Snow White, and other fairy tale and time references.

Laufey, with the help of Mei Mei the Bunny and Wally the Green Monster, crowned the night’s best dressed guest near the end of Act II. The winner, who designed her outfit with the help of her parents and sister, had embroidered, sheet music-inspired pants, a cape featuring the states Laufey has toured, and a Mei Mei and carousel-themed crown.

Overall, the setlist has remained mostly consistent across shows on this tour, with the exception being a surprise song during the encore. In Boston, the surprise song was “Slow Down,” with Laufey saying, “It just felt like the most appropriate song for Boston, knowing that I did so much of my growing up here.”

From the start, Boston fell in love with Laufey. And the artist certainly reciprocated.

Setlist for Laufey at TD Garden, Oct. 27, 2025:

Act I

• “Clockwork”
• “Lover Girl”
• “Dreamer”
• “Falling Behind”
• “Silver Lining”
• “Bored”
• “Too Little, Too Late”

Act II

• “Seems Like Old Times” (Carmen Lombardo cover)
• “Valentine” (jazz version)
• “Fragile” (jazz version)
• “While You Were Sleeping” (jazz version)
• “Let You Break My Heart Again”

Act III

• “Carousel”
• “Forget-Me-Not”
• “Cuckoo Ballet (Interlude)”

Act IV

• “Mr. Eclectic”
• “Castle in Hollywood”
• “Promise”
• “Goddess”
• “Tough Luck”
• “Snow White”
• “From the Start” (featuring Laufey’s identical twin sister Junia on violin)

The Final Act

• “Sabotage”

Encore

• “Slow Down” (surprise song)
• “Letter to My 13 Year Old Self”
• “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” (outro)

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