Last night, Lorde performed at the 4th Annual Ally Coalition Talent Show in New York City. The event, which raises money for at-risk and homeless LGBTQ youth, was organized in part by friend and close collaborator Jack Antonoff.
During her set, Lorde was joined by Antonoff and the two performed a handful of covers, including Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Run Away With Me” and the Roy Orbison classic “You Got It”. They also played two Melodrama cuts, “Green Light” and “Writer in the Dark”. Antonoff later offered up The Cranberries’ “Dreams” as a tribute to the late Dolores O’Riordan, who passed away suddenly earlier this month.
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The night wasn’t without its hitches, however. After the Jepsen cover, Lorde said to the crowd, “You’re all so nice, I wish every show was this nice.” Her comment was met with heckling from an audience member, who replied, “In Israel it’s nice,” in apparent reference to Lorde’s controversial concert cancellation in Israel amid the country’s cultural boycott. Her decision drew the ire of many, but also support from the likes of Roger Waters and Brian Eno.
Antonoff jumped in to diffuse the situation, as Variety reports. “Woah, hang on. We’re here raising a shit ton of money. Fuck the negativity.” He then put his arm around Lorde and said, “You know who’s nice? [This person] right here.” Lorde added, “I’m sure the Israeli people are very nice and I can’t wait to meet them one day.”
Check out fan-caught footage of the heckling and covers down below.
Heckling:
Carly Rae Jepsen cover:
Roy Orbison cover:
Cranberries cover:
Lorde’s Melodrama, voted our #1 Album of 2017, is up for Album of the Year at the 2018 Grammys, which take place this weekend.