After three years away from U.S. stages, New Zealand star Lorde made her big return on Wednesday, Sept. 17, kicking off her 2025 Ultrasound North American tour at Austin’s Moody Center.
She didn’t just ease back into it, she came out swinging with a spectacle that mixed songs from her brand-new album Virgin with deep cuts, fan favorites, and bold staging that reminded everyone why her live shows stick with you long after the lights go down.
Before Lorde hit the stage, the crowd was treated to two very different but equally engaging openers. New York’s Chanel Beads, the music project from Shane Lavers, set the tone early with tracks off his 2024 debut album Your Day Will Come. Then came English indie-pop outfit The Japanese House, fresh off their collaboration with Charli XCX on “Apple” and recently back from supporting her on the international leg of her tour. Other artists, including Blood Orange, Nilüfer Yanya, and Empress Of, will rotate through as opening acts on different stops of the Ultrasound run.
Lorde’s show was structured into four acts, each with its own mood and look. As always, she didn’t just sing the songs, she transformed them into living performances through stylized movement, choreography, and dramatic lighting. One of the most talked-about moments came during “Supercut.” Instead of delivering the Melodrama fan favorite straight, Lorde sang the entire track while walking on a treadmill brought onstage. The machine picked up speed as the song progressed, turning the performance into a surreal mix of intensity, playfulness, and metaphor.
At one point in the night, Lorde got candid with the Austin crowd. “Austin is a place where people want the real thing. You want what’s behind the layers. I am in a stage of my life where I am peeling off one layer at a time,” she shared.
And she meant it literally as much as figuratively. Throughout the show she cycled through multiple outfit changes, symbolically shedding pieces as the night went on. The most striking moment came when she slipped into a glowing jacket, left the stage, and walked directly through the crowd. Fans parted as she passed, her presence electric, intimate, and larger-than-life all at once.
By the end of the night, the Moody Center crowd had been taken on a ride, a whirlwind of lights, sound, and emotion that felt immersive and just a little bit unpredictable. It was classic Lorde: part concert, part performance art, and wholly unforgettable.
If Austin’s Ultrasound opener was any sign, the rest of this tour is going to keep fans guessing, gasping, and dancing through every stop. The Ultrasound tour heads north to Canada to close out September before swinging back into the U.S. with a Philadelphia stop on Sept. 30. Unfortunately for Texans, Austin is the only date in the Lone Star State this time around.
For fans who can’t make it to the shows, Lorde’s new album Virgin is out now, available in stores, or ready to stream and download online. But if you get the chance to see her live, don’t hesitate. After Austin, it’s clear: Lorde is in top form, and this new chapter of her career is only just beginning.
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