By Kyle Brown
On sunny and hot Friday August 4th, Centennial Terrace in Sylvania, OH hosted Lindsey Stirling and Walk off the Earth as openers. Gates opened at 6:30pm and events began around 7:45pm.
Walk Off The Earth (WOTE) are a group of five who are a Burlington (Canada) based band. They exploded onto the music scene after Youtube covers of popular bands and songs. The band, being so diverse in all the instruments they are capable of playing, were able to keep all eyes on them with their skills. Bringing brightly colored tubes of different sizes, WOTE were able to play numerous cover songs. The band also brought on a three neck “Guiharp” where all five played it simultaneously along with other instruments around their necks and hats.

WOTE is very fan friendly, always engaging in crowd activity, with even on song, lead vocalist Sarah leaving the stage and walking amongst the crowd. They invited Lindsey Sterling on stage for the song, Long Way Home, which bought a thunderous cheer. What was definitely the most wholesome moment of the entire night though, was when WOTE brought on their two kids on stage to sing My Stupid Heart. A few other songs played of their own including Red Hands and Whatever, as well as a Beatles melody, where the band went acoustic, Teenage Dirtbag, and What’s Love. All in all, the groups set was definitely a hit in the crowd and entertaining in every way. The stage presence was superb and their energy going from song to song with very little break in-between was astonishing.

Lindsey Stirling took the stage at 9:15pm to an intro of her drummer, keyboard/guitarist, and Stirling on the third tier of steps in the back. Immediately you could tell this was going to be a fun show. Stirling’s movements atop the stairs paired with the lighting effects looked perfected. Stirling later moved down the stairs and was met with dancers.

It was at that moment I realized how athletic you had to be for this set. Stirling isn’t known to just stand still and play a violin. Everything is choreographed. From the steps, to the dance moves, to the spinning. Everyone has a place to be in every moment of every song. The set was definitely theatrical and very well put together, with everything flowing in a very graceful and elegant manner.
On top of the choreography, it was also a hot night where Stirling joked about being just as wet as she was in the previous night, where it was raining. “I feel equally as drenched. It is very hot and dry. However, I am am no stranger to heat, I was bred for this!”
Stirling also brought a new element to this tour, going back to her classical roots. “For any of you aspiring dancing violinists, make sure you learn classical first! Then worry about dancing. Parents, you are welcome. I know that is why you came out tonight!” Stirling then began to play and eventually brought new life to it with by adding drums and a keyboard.

Lindsey also added some humor to her set with a crew member coming on stage with a musical break sign. This was followed by Stirling’s dog, Luna. Sarah from WOTE was invited for a song as well as Gianni Luminati from WOTE later on. It was fun to see the love for each other both artists had, bringing one another up on for their sets.
Roundtable Rival was played and that is the one song I absolutely wanted to hear. That song used to be my call ringtone for my phone, when it was released in 2014. Seeing it performed live was a dream come true. Sterling also played a Christmas song, Carol of the Bells. Being an avid Christmas lover, that was one of my personal highlights of the night.
There was an evident theme throughout the set, and that was promoting self love and being okay with not being as good as someone else. Stirling made sure to talk about it throughout the night, with a few backstories. One of which she spoke about not feeling worthy of putting on a tour with the likes of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé putting on record setting tours. Stirling said she questioned herself on why continue, she’d never get that success. But a friend helped pry her from that thinking and she set a tour that I am 100% certain everyone in the crowd loved. No one was really on their phone. Everyone was tuned in to watching Stirling. That in itself, is quite the accomplishment.
Near the end of her set, Lindsey mentioned how proud she was of this tour. From the set, design, and costumes. Every detail was finely drawn out. In my personal opinion, this was one to be proud of. All the hard work was really well done and she hit the nail on the head. Great songs, background tracking, lights, and performance of dancers. Every detail was exceptional. Everyone on stage looked like they were having the time of their lives, and that, as an audience member, is all you can ask for.













