Ellie Goulding. TD Garden. June 15th

There aren't many female singers that navigate in the upper echelons of the pop music sphere. You can probably name them on one hand: Madonna, Beyonce, and Rihanna for a start. These are the women that bring full on extravaganzas on tour. Large scale staged events that dazzle with multiple video screens, dancers galore and glamour with a capital "G." This is due to the fact that, regardless of the changes in the music industry as a whole, these types of tours are expensive and the economics of this kind of thing just aren't as secure as they were in the pre-digital age. So for (relative) pop newbie Ellie Goulding to tackle this kind of performance event says a lot about her chutzpah and perhaps the financial support behind her.

The show had many of the hallmarks of this kind of tour. And Ms. Goulding did an admirable job in many respects. While her outfit didn't command a lot of attention (little black top, black shorts, and combat boots), she did manage to hold the attention of the many tweens in the audience. It kinda made me feel like a creepy old man being surrounded by 15 year-olds. Thankfully my fellow gays were in attendance. And the music was what one would expect from the genre. There were the intense dance music songs ("Outside" and "I Need Your Love") that got the crowd up and on their feet. And this was balanced out (well, not really there was one) by the ballad "Take Devotion" which was surprisingly nice. When not be-bopping around on stage and singing upbeat pop, it is hard to recognize the fact that she actually has a surprisingly lovely voice. Some of this might have been the sound mix. At times the audio was a bit muddy. And there was the time she "played" a guitar that might not have actually been connected to anything. But those are minor quibbles.

I think that overall the show was pleasant and a nice diversion after the tragedy in Orlando. However, it was sad that her stage banter was minimal, especially in light of Orlando and the number of gay men in the audience. A few words of kindness or solidarity would have been appreciated. Near the end of the show the video screens did light up in rainbow colors and the symbolic rainbow hands forming a heart were projected, but it felt like an afterthought (or rather a before-thought as they were probably programmed long before this week). Some would argue that a pop concert might not be the proper place for a "political" statement. I disagree. Many in the audience were affected by the tragedy and being at her concert lightened the mood and allowed us to not think about it. A couple of words from Ms. Goulding would have gone a long way towards concretizing a relationship that she is certainly working on.

For updating dates for Ellie Goulding's tour, visit her website.