Olivia Dean Delivers Lessons in Love and One Hell of a Show at Madison Square Garden

There’s a word Olivia Dean consistently called to mind throughout her headlining performance at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Aug. 14 — present. The show was the first of four consecutive sold-out nights the British singer-songwriter has scheduled at the venue this weekend. She didn’t seem to be thinking too much about the other three, or really anything beyond that exact moment. Dean was astoundingly present.

It’s the most apt descriptor for the manner in which she commanded the room for nearly two full hours with a set spanning 24 songs. “I’m feeling emotional and grateful and so present with you this evening, New York,” Dean told the audience. It was early in the night and she just finished introducing the show with an opening run of “The Art of Loving,” “Nice to Each Other,” and “Lady Lady.” A brief encapsulation of how love lingers. A madly persuasive plea to live in the moment. A surrender to the inevitability of change. It was the exact order in which the songs appear on her acclaimed second album, The Art of Loving , which shares a title with the tour.

For a moment, it seemed as though the set list might directly mirror the record’s track list. The Art of Loving , after all, is an album best consumed as one whole, indulgent piece. Each track flows so effortlessly into the next it feels sinful to tear them apart. This makes for a dependable and familiar listening experience, but would be far too predictable to support the lessons in love Dean was set on delivering throughout the night. Unlike the fixed order of these songs, life and love are perpetually at the mercy of the present. They’re capable of changing drastically from one moment to the next. Dean knows this because she’s seen it.

“We were here just maybe nine months ago, supporting Sabrina Carpenter, and it’s crazy to be back headlining now,” Dean said, referring to her opening slot on the pop star’s Short n’ Sweet tour. “I’m in awe of how much can happen in such a short space of time.” The non-exhaustive sum of events within this time frame included winning Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards and scoring two Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. She might not have believed it if you’d told her then what awaited her in the future. But watching her on that stage, statuesque in a gold gown, it was impossible to imagine any other outcome. Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

Dean glided across the stage with palpable charisma during “So Easy (To Fall in Love),” then racked her mind for the warning signs she might have missed, or mistaken for nerves, on the piercing ballad “Close Up.” Every few songs, she recentered the room with speeches that encouraged sweeping introspection. Before she twisted the knife even deeper with “Let Alone the One You Love,” it was time for one of those requisite lessons in love. “Don’t let anyone ever hold you back and tell you they love you at the same time,” Dean said. Her tone was stern, as though she learned this the hard way and wanted so badly to soften the blow for someone else.