Laufey’s “A Matter of Time” Tour Bewitched Me

Photo taken 10/9/2025 by me

On Friday October 10th, Laufey (pronounced lay-vay) brought her A Matter of Time tour to the United Center, transforming the immense arena into something right out of a fairy tale. With a stage design that emulated Cinderella’s staircase leading to a luminous clock, Laufey created an atmosphere simultaneously intimate and timeless. The 26-year-old Icelandic-Chinese jazz-pop sensation filled the room with a fusion of old-world elegance and modern narrative style through an immersive five-act performance that felt more like a living theater piece than a mere concert.

The show opened with Act I, an introduction to the new album’s themes of love, time, and self-discovery. The songs 'Clockwork', 'Lover Girl', 'Dreamer', and 'Silver Lining' lit up Laufey's pop orchestral-styled nostalgic jazz, with fans singing along to every word. Then, everything changed in Act II when we were introduced to Laufey’s “jazz room”. Under the soft amber light, black-and-white cameras caught the transformation of the United Center from arena to intimate jazz club. And for her songs like ‘Valentine’, ‘Fragile’, and ‘Let You Break My Heart Again’, she performed a jazz version of them in the middle of the arena, surrounded by a small live jazz band. Act III bore the dreamy, whimsical notes of ‘Carousel’ and ‘Forget-Me-Not’. At the end of this act, as Laufey moved away from the scene, ballet dancers took center stage, performing to orchestral versions of her songs, where the graceful choreography and soft twinkling lighting created a cinematic interlude. This particular time was meant for the audience to feel her music, rather than just hear it through her voice. In Act IV, as the energy and emotion reached their climax, songs like ‘Mr. Eclectic’, ‘Promise’, ‘Goddess’, and ‘From the Start’ filled the United Center with elegance and a sense of awe.

Then came the final act that hit me the hardest, Act V. Laufey ended the night with 'A Letter to My 13 Year Old Self’, her voice quiet but steady, a love song not to someone else, but to her younger self. Growing up feeling out of place, learning to embrace who you are, and finally finding peace with your younger self, this is Laufey’s story, and it’s one I know personally. As someone who is also mixed-race and grew up in an area where nobody looked like me, I’ve always related to Laufey’s songs that cover this topic, such as ‘Snow White’. I didn’t realize how hard this would hit me to see her in real life, standing under those lights, performing for a sold-out arena. It felt deeply personal and reminded me of what it feels like to not belong, but how powerful it is to finally see someone like you taking up space. I cried so much when she sang, ‘You’ll grow up and grow so confident / Write your story, fall in love a little too’. It wasn’t the heartbreak she usually sings about; it was softer and more about healing. Watching Laufey close her set on that glowing clock, singing to her past self and, in a way, to mine, was one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve ever had.

Laufey’s A Matter of Time concert wasn’t just a performance. It was a reminder that growth, love, and self-acceptance all take time, and sometimes, that’s exactly what makes them so worth it.