Las Vegas Weekly

April 26, 2012 · 11:28 AM

Photos: Florence + the Machine singer talks Frida Kahlo, Las Vegas

By Don Chareunsy

Florence Welch, dressed surprisingly warmly

Photo: Erik Kabik/ErikKabik.com

By Don Chareunsy

Resplendent onstage at Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan on Saturday night in a floor-length, silver-sequined gown, Florence Welch, lead singer of the hotter-than-hot Florence + the Machine, had the sold-out, outdoor crowd under her spell with her at-once mesmerizing, enchanting and piercing voice, vintage-yet-modern sense of style and her measured, theatrical arm movements.

Afterward, on the arrival carpet for the MSN Presents Florence + the Machine’s Las Vegas After-Party at the nearby Boom Box Room in Marquee Nightclub, British-born Welch, in a floor-length, embroidered, emerald green Tadashi Shoji gown, talked about Las Vegas weather, Coachella, downtown Las Vegas and Frida Kahlo.

Photo: WireImage

Florence Welch, lead singer of Florence + the Machine, attends the MSN Presents Florence + the Machine's Las Vegas After-Party at the Cosmopolitan on Saturday, April 21, 2012.

Don Chareunsy: First of all, that was an amazing performance, and you looked beautiful.

Florence Welch: Thanks!

D.C.: Weren’t you hot in that dress onstage? (Editor’s Note: It was still in the 80s past 10 p.m. The previous weekend at the Boulevard, it was 48 degrees when the Shins ended their concert.)

F.W.: It was quite hot actually, yes, but I thought it was worth it. I imagine myself as sort of a big disco ball in the middle of the Strip.

D.C.: That was a 70-, 80-minute performance. At one point, you didn’t want to change clothes?

F.W.: Well, you’re kind of it then, aren’t you? You get carried away in the moment and sort of forget about what you’re wearing. That’s what I want from a performance.

D.C.: And you’re off to Coachella, so it’s not a lot of rest, and it’s going to be really hot there, too.

F.W.: Yes!

D.C.: In the desert again. Will you alter your wardrobe for that?

F.W.: Well, I probably won’t wear sequins! I won’t wear my full-length turtleneck sequins for Coachella, but who knows?

D.C.: You were here for the grand opening of Marquee, and you’re back. What do you like to do when you’re in Las Vegas? You mentioned onstage that you were downtown.

Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage

Florence and the Machine at Marquee at The Cosmopolitan on Dec. 30, 2010.

F.W.: Yeah, we went downtown, we went to a vintage store. It was amazing! I managed to find a Mexican restaurant, which had all these pictures of Frida Kahlo everywhere. I am obsessed with her. It was like finding Frida. It was magical.

D.C.: What do you like about Frida? How do you relate to her?

F.W.: I love her style, and I think she captured so much strength and fragility in her portraits and the quandary of being feminine and mixing up these ideas of masculine and feminine and the real and the unreal and the pain. She was an amazing artist.

D.C.: When will we have you back here in Las Vegas again?

F.W.: Hopefully soon. I like Las Vegas!

Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com

Blake Lively and Florence Welch at Marquee at The Cosmopolitan on Dec. 30, 2010.

Photo: WireImage

Florence Welch, lead singer of Florence + the Machine, attends the MSN Presents Florence + the Machine's Las Vegas After-Party at the Cosmopolitan on Saturday, April 21, 2012.

Welch, who began the concert in a sorceress, Harry Potter-esque cloak over her silver-sequined gown, performed barefoot with a seven-piece band that included Chris Hayden (drums), Isabella Summers (keyboards), Rob Ackroyd (guitar), Mark Saunders (bass) and Tom Monger (harp). The setlist included the hits “Dog Days Are Over” and “Shake It Out,” plus “Cosmic Love,” “Never Let Me Go,” “You’ve Got the Love” and an encore.

At the after-party, Welch cuddled with boyfriend James Nesbitt and danced with BFF singer Blood Orange, who was the night’s opening act. Florence + the Machine’s 15-city U.S. tour is sponsored by MSN. Thanks to Erik Kabik for his photo gallery from the concert.

Don Chareunsy is editor of VegasDeLuxe.com and arts and entertainment editor of LasVegasSun.com.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

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