Dan DeSlover

In the midst of a Christmas-themed winter tour, violinist Lindsey Stirling delivered an endearing performance at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, on Wednesday evening. Touring in support of her latest effort, Warmer in the Winter, she presented nearly two hours of reimagined holiday music complete with choreography and elaborate stage production.

Her “Christmas Squad,” five female dancers from the show, entertained the audience as the crowd filtered into the building from the blustery weather to find their seats. When the lights dimmed shortly after 8 p.m., they found their way to the stage, playing bells as Stirling joined them in disguise—a brunette wig and large red cape.

Within moments, she shed the costume and lead into the up-tempo “All I Want For Christmas” to kick off the festivities. Large, wrapped presents adorned the stage lending to the holiday cheer. The all ages show was kept fresh with plenty of wardrobe changes to keep up with the constantly morphing stage production.

She offered words of hope, peace and Christmas memories in addition to the beautifully choreographed music. Stirling reminisced, “The reflective side of Christmas brings you back to memories and people you love” before performing a moving rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” with Stirling offering her trademark violin mastery accompanied only by an acoustic guitar.

Stirling added sass on flirtatious “Santa Baby,” in which she sang lead vocals, accompanied by a background of floating bubbles while her dancers flipped across the stage. Other highlights included the vibrant “Carol of the Bells,” Dr. Seuss holiday classic “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” complete with the village of Whoville, and a requisite visit of her pup, Luna, to the stage. 

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