Nicole Atkins closes the XPNFest Marina stage with an otherworldly performance

Nicole Atkins closed out the Marina stage tonight with a slow burn of a set. The perfect way to end the weekend, the Jersey-born Nashville-based singer-songwriter had an effortless grace throughout her entire set. Sporting a white suit, she looked like an apparition, and there was an otherworldly quality to her performance as a whole.

Atkins managed to balance her badass image with moments of sheer vulnerability throughout her set. With a sweet dedication and tender delivery on “Captain,” she appeared sweet as can be. However, during “A Night Of Serious Drinking,” she threw up both middle fingers, making it clear that messing with her would be a bad idea.

While people stayed seated for the first half of her set, Atkins got everybody on their feet with “Domino.” The slight country twang and driving guitar riffs made it impossible not to get up and dance as she instructed. The crowd even provided the backup vocals for “Girl You Look Amazing.” In a wholesome moment, she had everyone turn to a stranger and shout out the line, “girl, you look amazing.”

While she delivered some stunning original songs, she managed to solidify her spot as the festival’s queen of covers. In a bold move, she ended her set with a striking rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “What Is and What Never Should Be.” The band effortlessly executed the crashing percussion and thundering bass lines that the song demanded, and also threw in a cover of “7” by Prince, much to the crowd’s delight.

Atkins teased a new live album, which will be out on October 12. While she declined to answer any questions from the crowd about it, all you need to know is it’s Nicole Atkins and it will no doubt be amazing.

Setlist
Maybe Tonight
AM Gold
Mind Eraser
Captain
St. Dymphna
Darkness Falls So Quiet
Brokedown Luck
Far From Home
Domino
Girl You Look Amazing
A Night Of Serious Drinking
Listen Up
7
What Is And What Should Never Be