With many impressive stops, including a sold out Madison Square Garden on her “A Matter of Time Tour,” I was lucky enough to get tickets for Laufey’s tour stop in Philadelphia on Friday, Oct. 24. As this was my second concert ever, these tickets were the chance of a lifetime to join a sold out crowd of around 21,000 fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena for an exciting concert experience.

The Xfinity Mobile Center was filled with a sea of people. Looking out from our seats, which were only two rows away from the top of the arena, resulted in the view of a never-ending mass of fans. Even though I was surprised, the staff were evidently accustomed to such a large crowd from their experience with the fans that flock to the Xfinity Mobile Center for big Philadelphia sports teams like the Flyers and 76ers. Of course, Laufey and Mei Mei the Bunny had to invite the Philly Fanatic for a quick feature at the beginning of the concert.

Some fans on opposite sides of the arena even tried communicating through their phone flashlights; they would draw big hearts with their lights and we would wave with ours in return.

These cute gestures were just one example speaking to the sweetness of the Laufey fan culture. It was standard practice for girls to compliment outfits of complete strangers. With waves of beautifully dressed concert goers and outfits ranging from simple skirts with cute tops, to elaborate dresses and costumes, there was no shortage of compliments being handed out for the whole night.

These costumes followed many niche themes branching from Laufey’s social media history as well as the natural aesthetic of the album. There were many bee costumes, presumably from the skit placed in the middle of the show during a costume change that involves Laufey trying on different costumes in front of her twin sister Junia.

Another exciting part of the night is when Laufey rewards the best-dressed concert goer each night with a specialized crown for every tour stop that they get to keep. Many fans compete for this precious award. The best-dressed fan for Philadelphia was a beautiful girl dressed in a stunning outfit that was half a blue tutu and half a long, flowing skirt with 3D flowers attached to the top. The fan said that her outfit showed the duality of the album. Laufey agreed and brought up the point multiple times through the night of the two sides of femininity. One side represented the lighter and more delicate side and the other represented a key point of the album: it is okay to have a side that is emotional and stands out.

While I loved her outfit, my favorite was a girl with a black, floor-length dress. The dress had stars and twinkling LED lights all over the skirt with an elaborate head piece depicting the moon and stars. She even had beautiful face paint with clouds and moons around her eyes. We were able to spot the dress by the lights from completely across the stadium and 14 rows up. I loved the celestial dress and the way it looked, but I understand why Laufey chose the dual-sided dress; she felt it better represented the album.

Like the many different outfits, the music also consisted of a variety of styles. The majority of the concert was sung in a vocal pop style with more jazz undertones, but one of the five acts was specifically a jazz act. This act consisted of a variety of songs, new and old, from Laufey’s discography- many of them being changed slightly to become a more jazz version of the original song. One example is the jazz version  of the song “While You Were Sleeping” from Laufey’s second studio album, “Bewitched.” During the concert, she sped up the song considerably from the original tempo. Laufey expressed that she wanted to have a jazz set in the show because she wanted to make the show feel more romantic and personal, which she achieved.

The show consisted of five acts and an encore. The first act started upbeat with hit single “Lover Girl,” and an upbeat percussive clap that the audience all participated in. I had anticipated that the audience would clap along to the song but I was surprised at how well we were able to stay together and how good it sounded.

Act three concluded with a performance of “Cuckoo Ballet (Interlude)” with Laufey on the cello. I loved the concept of Laufey playing her cello and it struck me as an instrument you would not normally see in a stadium. I think that this is what a large portion of Laufey’s fans—including me—like about her; her ability to bring a new life into classical jazz. I loved how her backup dancers changed into ballet tutus and point shoes to match the concept of the song and gave a stunning show with lots of style and technique for being in the middle of a six-act performance.

One of the more emotional moments for both me and the audience was the style of act four. Act four had beautiful touches like mirrors surrounding Laufey and filling the stage for the song “Snow White.” “Snow White” is a powerful song about insecurity that impacted me even more when I heard it live. The reason “Snow White” was so moving was the sound of the crowd singing every word and how I could see the faces of all of these beautiful girls singing along about how they didn’t feel pretty enough.

The final act had a surprise song, which for Philly was the song “Questions For The Universe,” which Laufey said had some of her favorite lyrics she had ever written. The song is about what happens when you grow up and realize that your parents do not always have the answers. The performance was touching, especially as a teenage girl who is currently growing up and learning the same lessons. It was definitely an inspiring moment of the show.

The last song of each concert is “Letter To My 13 Year Old Self,” which is an uplifting song of hope and building confidence for the future. There was a strong emotional connection throughout the stadium, as we all shared the experiences that the song talks about in one way or another, and we could all feel a collective sense of hope.

The night ended in tears for all of us, not only because of the important song, but as such an incredible memory came to a close. The Laufey concert was an unforgettable, magical experience due to the sights, sounds and culture of everyone in the stadium.