Eight years ago Lizzy Grant was on her way to volunteer at an Indian reservation when she found herself gazing upon the majestic Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The 19-year-old singer-songwriter, who had just released a demo of acoustic tracks under the pseudonym May Jailer, made herself a promise – one day she would perform on that stage. Quite a lofty goal for an artist who was completely obscure at the time. But as she proved last night, it was far from unobtainable. Say what you will about Ms. Grant, you have to admire her drive and tenacity. She makes things happen for herself.

The road to Red Rocks was not an easy one. It took a complete transformation of character to arrive in Morrison. Lizzy Grant, the acoustic artist who seemed content to follow in the footsteps of coffeeshop-era Jewel, became Lana Del Rey, a 60’s chanteuse who would be in good company with Nico and Nancy Sinatra. When she first posted “Video Games”on youtube in 2011, I was immediately blown away. The song, the old footage, and the strikingly unique beauty of the girl singing made me believe she was something special. I still think it was one of the best things to happen that year. She affected so many people, so fast, that most artists in her place would have suffocated on the pressure. But the excess love was the least of her worries. Along with the adoration came extreme hatred. Never in the history of the internet has someone been assaulted so severely for a single song. The internet has always been overrun by trolls, but once Lana Del Rey had been outted as Lizzy Grant (and even worse, that she had taken measures to try to erase Lizzy Grant’s digital footprint) the haters wanted blood. Her botched SNL performance did nothing to keep them at bay. It was during this time that you could not escape the name Lana Del Rey.

I saw her perform at Amoeba Records in San Francisco a month after the SNL disaster. This was in early-2012 and she was shy, nervous and extremely grateful for those of us who supported her. She literally looked like she was going to burst into tears as she sang a few songs for the handful of hipsters gathered in the store. Her performance was noteworthy because she hadn’t let them break her, but it wasn’t exactly breathtaking. When I met up with some friends at Zam Zam’s after the show, I told them that Lana Del Rey wouldn’t last another year.

I was wrong.

The internet treated Lana Del Rey (and the real person behind her) as the second coming. Those with messianic expectations were only drown out by those demanding crucifixion. But Lana/Lizzy wasn’t as fragile as I first thought. In fact, I don’t think anyone really knew (knows) who she was (is). I wonder if she was already aware, when she was singing in that record store on Haight Street, that she was going to leave those critical people behind. Why wallow in the depths of judgmental people? Why waste time on those who are going to raise you up like some golden idol, only to throw you on the fire like a sacrificial lamb at the first hint of imperfection? She knew that she wasn’t on the road to Red Rocks, so she (or her people) started marketing to those who really matter – the youth of America.

The average age of the 1,500 people at the Amoeba Records show was probably 27 years old — mostly male – with a lot of horn-rimmed glasses and flannel. The event was free.

The average age of the 9,450 people at Red Rocks was probably 17 years old — mostly female – with a lot of flowered headbands and exposed skin. The event was $40 a ticket.

Last night “Because the Internet” became “Screw the Internet, Because the Kids”.

The lines protruded from every entrance into every parking lot hours before the gates opened. Teenaged girls basked in the sunshine of an 80 degree day. Sunflowers had been strung together and tied around their heads, while sundresses and crop tops seemed to be the standard uniform for the night — although some went as far as full Indian headdress, as Lana did in the video for “Ride”. I really can’t remember the last time that I’ve been to a show where the fans dress up as the artist. It was just another sign of the influence she has over these kids — an influence that would have been impossible if she would have continued to cater toward the Pitchfork/Stereogum crowd.

The three kids in our care weren’t quite as over-the-top as those around us, but they were still excited enough to want to get in early and get a good seat. We had no problem catering to those needs. The only issue is that we sat in Row 24 for well over two hours before she took the stage. The lights went down at 9:00pm, but (the diva?) Lana did not grace us with her presence until about 20 minutes later. And that’s when the screaming started. I’ve been to hundreds of concerts and I have never in my life heard girls scream like they were last night. It wasn’t cheering. It wasn’t singing-along. It was life-threatening screams and it was seriously unnecessary. Even the preteens we were with were throwing dirty looks at the girls who were determined to make us all deaf by the end of the night.

What were they screaming for?

They were screaming because she took off her shoes. They were screaming because she smoked a cigarette. They were screaming because she drank something out of a cup. They were screaming because she took some time to sign some autographs. They were screaming because she said “you sound great”. And they went absolutely batshit crazy when the wind started blowing and she said she needed a hairtie.

But were they really listening? Did she sound good to their young ears? Did that part even matter?

I can’t answer those questions because I’m old. I was in the minority. I didn’t matter. My opinion is that she didn’t sound very good at all. I like her album, but I really think she’s a studio artist. I understand that Lana Del Rey is a stoic persona, but I felt that she took that persona too far last night. There was no real emotion in the performance. There was so much love directed at that stage, yet words were all that were returned. It was almost as if she were singing through a mask of detachment. It was as if the crowd were screaming into a black hole.

Interestingly enough, it wasn’t until the wind came ripping out of nowhere that she seemed to come alive. She was at her best when she forgot to be sultry. She was at her best when she was belting it out during “Ride”. It’s just too bad she looked so exhausted by the time she got to “Video Games”.

The night ended with “National Anthem” – and as she declared “money is the anthem of success”, I couldn’t help but respect her for achieving that success. Lizzy Grant made herself a promise, and she kept that promise against enormous odds. I could fill pages with names of artists who are more talented than her, but those artists wouldn’t be able to book, much less sell-out, the great Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The set only lasted about 80 minutes and there was no encore, but I didn’t see any disappointment on the faces of those around me. I might have found the show lazy and lacking in so many ways, but she gave the kids the night of their lives. And I guess that’s all that really matters.

Setlist:
Cruel World Intro
Cola
Body Electric
Blue Jeans
West Coast
Born to Die
Young and Beautiful
Radio
Carmen
Gods & Monsters
Summertime Sadness
Million Dollar Man
Ride
Video Games
National Anthem