Live music is frequently described metaphorically as a religious experience. There's something about the combination of the crowds, the tunes, and the presence of an inimitable artist that can produce a truly transcendent result. In Dallas Monday night for a stop on her Ministry tour, rootsy pop chanteuse Elle King offered a more literal interpretation of music as a trip to church -- both figuratively and literally when she, an ordained minister, married an Irving couple on stage.
The evening began as most rock shows do. As she took to the stage dressed in a vintage-inspired green floral jumpsuit, Chuck Taylors and a sort of punk-rock version of a minister's robe, King kicked off the evening with "Last Damn Night," her barn-burning, rootsy take on YOLO for the Americana crowd. After calming any pre-show nerves with, as she said, about five shots of whiskey, King's effusive energy practically bounced off the rafters.
It was almost as if there were a few Elle Kings on stage last night. At one moment, she was every bit a modern day Janis Joplin ripping through songs like "Chain Smokin', Hard Drinkin' Woman," and "Where The Devil Don't Go." The next, she's quietly plucking through "Kocaine Karolina," a tender reflection on hard living, and invoking some kind of Amy Winehouse-Adele hybrid (thanks in large part to King's distinctive, bluesy timbre) on "Under The Influence."
It is her ability to juxtapose quiet and loud, rough and soft, country and pop that makes King such a compelling performer, the sheer power of her smoky soprano notwithstanding. From one track to the next, she seamlessly worked her way through her catalog of influences, blending country, blues, roots and pop music in a way that few other artists can.
The tone of the show shifted dramatically when King brought up what is undoubtedly the most dreaded subject on every American's mind right now -- politics.
"Our country's supposed to be beautiful, right?" King rhetorically asked the crowd. "What happened? There's a lot of bull---- going on, and I noticed there's one thing our country is lacking focus on: [expletive] love, man."
After playing "The Devil Don't Go," King brought Melissa and Brittney Rackley to the stage. At each stop on her Ministry tour, King has officiated a wedding from the stage, and last night was no exception.
"Do you two love each other?" King asked. "Well well, I now pronounce you love and love, because love is all that matters."
At one point, King told the relentlessly talkative crowd to pipe down as she finished reading their vows. "This is important," she said. "You fall in love as two individuals, and you come out together as one." The beaming brides shared their first kiss as a married couple, the audience cheered, and afterward, even the most cold-hearted cynics in the crowd couldn't keep the tears out of their eyes.
The newlyweds headed back to their seats in the VIP area in a fluttery daze. From Irving, the couple is just days away from their four year anniversary; they couldn't think of a better place to tie the knot than with one of their favorite artists.
"It was so surreal. It's still surreal," said Melissa Rackley. "She gave me a hug! She sang to us! I was just trying not to cry. I've got an ugly cry face."
Tying the knot at a King show wasn't even part of the plan when the Rackleys purchased their tickets months ago. "We bought meet and greet tickets before she had even announced that she was going to be doing weddings on tour," said Brittney Rackley. "Then we found out and filled out a form and I just basically told our story and explained why we wanted to get married. Her management team emailed me on Friday to ask for my phone number, and they called on Saturday to tell us that we would be the couple to get married on stage."
King also provided the couple with plenty of souvenirs to commemorate their wedding, including signed copies of the setlist, several of her own guitar picks and the hand-scribbled notes she used while performing the ceremony. Both Rackleys were wearing t-shirts emblazoned with "I'm Not America's Sweetheart," a reference to King's similarly-titled track on the front, and "But I'm Hers" on the back.
In any other setting, an onstage wedding might have felt a bit like a gimmick.
But King's set ran the emotional gamut, starting with her own heartbreak and revenge songs, and ending with a genuine expression of love and dedication. And that is, ultimately, the alluring appeal of King: her inimitable ability to juxtapose those incredible pipes with gritty grooves, wrenching lyricism and a whole lot of tender, raw emotion on both ends of the spectrum. It was impossible to leave House of Blues last night not feeling a little bit like King took you to church, and she masterfully led worship.
By AMY MCCARTHY/SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR
Flip through concert photos from Elle King's Dallas show:
