REVIEW: Lindsey Stirling Delivers a Monday Night Miracle
07/13 @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Photos by Elissa Ebersold
“The theatricality of the performance only continued to build throughout; it frequently took on characteristics of fantasy rock opera combined with ballet, and would not be out of place on a Broadway stage.”
I walked into SPAC on Monday evening expecting to be uniquely entertained. After all, this would be my first time experiencing a performance from Lindsey Stirling, the acrobatic violinist who is known around the world as one of the most refreshing and exciting artists this generation of music has to offer. Boasting a resume that includes a quarterfinal finish on America’s Got Talent’s fifth season, platinum selling albums across Europe, countless awards, and over 14 million subscribers on YouTube, it was shaping up to be the best Monday night of my entire summer.
Kicking off the festivities were ARKAI, an electroacoustic string duo with violin, cello and backing tracks that included percussion and other elements like occasional vocals to add depth. Their sophomore album Brightside took home the 2026 GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, and they delivered an excellent set that included awesome covers of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and “Believer” by Imagine Dragons. There was also an emotional rendition of their song “Remembrance”, which was accompanied by a moving story of how they named the song following an interaction with a widow at one of their shows. They also revealed they have a third album in the works, including a new song that features an appearance by Lindsey Stirling (more on that later)!
Following ARKAI were PVRIS (pronounced like the city in France, in case you didn’t know), looking the part of a true power trio with a matching, all black dress code. Right from the jump, their opening song “Dead Weight” was a powerful introduction with soaring vocals from frontwoman Lynn Gunn and tight musicianship from the rest including some electronic elements incorporated to make their style of driving rock feel right at home in a dance club. They delivered pop rock with some real punch, and their brand of hard rock with power pop hooks made me believe that Heavy Pop could definitely work as a genre. The band did more than their part to whip the audience up ahead of the headlining set with energetic crowd banter to go along with their performance.
With the crowd adequately awoken from their Monday stupor, Lindsey Stirling erupted onto the stage with a theatrical rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”. Through the first few songs of the set, I came to realize just how theatrical of a show I was truly in for, with expertly choreographed dancing and stunning set dressing complete with a two-level set with a screen projecting visually stunning backdrops. This of course included extravagant outfits for Stirling and the team of dancers who accompanied her, complete with a violin shaped like a bow and arrow.
After a performance of “Artemis” that had her dancing and twirling around every inch of the multilevel set while playing without putting a single note out of place, Stirling took a moment to engage the crowd by asking for our help in creating some TikTok content live during the set. After a few minutes of instructions on how to make our own DIY light show with our cell phone flashlights, we made an attempt to follow her directions while she and the dancers turned their back to the crowd for the video. The first attempt was futile, leading to some comic relief and nervous laughter from the audience.
“Everyone is laughing, I feel like it went terribly,” she exclaimed, before doubling down and motivating the crowd to try it again. This time, it was executed successfully in step and the crowd exploded to give themselves a sarcastic pat on the back (you can see the finished product on Lindsey Stirling’s social media). Following the moment of wholesome audience interaction, Stirling invited Arkai back to the stage to perform the song they worked on together: a version of Arkai’s song “High Noon”. As a trio, they played with an energy and chemistry that was palpable and contagious. After the song, Stirling noted how refreshing it was to perform with other string players of such talent, something she said she doesn’t get to do very often.
Moving onto “Mirage”, she began to put her talents as an aerialist on full display with electric acrobatics, playing flawlessly as she twirled and dangled upside down above the stage. There was incredible harness work, complete with an elaborate routine that mirrored a caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a butterfly (including the unfurling of the wings). There was a fun solo battle exchanged between Stirling and her guitarist, leading to an impromptu breakout of the rock-n-roll fiddle classic, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. At times during the performance she also put her lesser-known vocal range on display, showcasing that she is indeed one of the most well-rounded performers out there while delivering a passionate performance on a song in tribute to her late father and best friend.
As I took part in the standing ovation that followed the show and Stirling and her whole production team took their curtain call, it occurred to me that this was, bar none, one of the most complete performances I had ever seen, with memorable moment after memorable moment. The Duality Untamed Tour is every bit a piece of musical theater as it is a performance at a summer concert series. The theatricality of the performance only continued to build throughout; it frequently took on characteristics of fantasy rock opera combined with ballet, and would not be out of place on a Broadway stage. If you were unlucky to have missed Stirling this time around, take it from me: you’re gonna want to do everything in your power to make sure you don’t make that mistake again.
