LOS ANGELES, CA- As a preview of Lauren Ruth Ward’s headlining gig at the El Rey Theatre, I concluded my post by saying that the most meaningful reason to attend her performance would be because “You.Will.Feel.Loved”. I suggested that you’d not only feel the love that Lauren pours out to her fans, but also the overall sense of community and belonging of the crowd. I was right.

Even before doors opened, as I waited in line to get in, people that I had met at other Lauren Ruth Ward shows or online due to interactions on Lauren Ruth Ward related social media posts, greeted me like we were old friends. We all shared the same excitement of seeing our favorite Scorpio Siren command the stage like the queen she is.

You’d think that seeing her perform 8 times in 2018 would temper my desire to see Lauren do her thing again (this performance at the El Rey would be my 9th), but you’d be wrong. There’s something magnetic about her music and her spirit on stage that captivates me, and while I still may not be able to adequately put it into words, I know I’m not the only one who feels this attraction. After all, just ask my friend Nicole who has rescheduled work appointments, and flew across the country to catch this show. Or ask my friend Gaelle, also at the show, who flew half way around the world from France to see Lauren headline a gig at one Los Angeles most esteemed venues.

For this show, that love expressed itself on stage ten-fold.

Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.

If you follow Lauren on social media, you’ll know just how supportive she is of local talent.  A lover of music of all kinds herself, almost half of her posts on her instagram story aren’t about her, but about an act that she’s excited to go see live. On this evening, it felt like the entire Los Angeles music community came out to reciprocate that affection and support Lauren for her largest, “hometown” headlining gig to date.

Since this was a bigger show than usual for Lauren, she put together a bigger band to help celebrate the occasion, expanding her core band to a sextet from a quartet, and having as many as 8 musicians join her on stage at once: Eddie Rivera (guitar), Dean Passarella  (guitar), Liv Slingerland (bass), Madi Vogt (drums), Annabelle Maginnis (violin), and Emma Cole, Fox Sinclair, Rett Madison and TwoLips on backing vocals, with Emma staying on to sing backup vocals throughout the evening. She even invite a friend up to the mic to tell a funny story about deer getting high on mushrooms (good one, Tess).

But the “local support” didn’t stop there, as Lauren made sure to thank everybody who had a hand making the evening’s entertainment possible, including Moon Honey’s Jess Joy and Andrew Martin who assisted with set design and guitar tech duties respectively.

The performance was a true treat for LWR fans as she not only played fan favorites off of her debut album Well, Hell, but also performed four “new” songs: “Valhalla”, “Wise Gal”, “We Are Grown Ups” and “Pullstring”. An extra treat was when Lauren’s fiancee, LP, came to the stage to help sing both “Sheet Stains” and an unforgettable cover of “White Rabbit”.

Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.

2019 seems like it will be a fresh start for Lauren.

During the performance, after thanking some of her French fan club for flying thousands of miles to be with her, she addressed the audience to state that she was once again taking the independent route, after parting ways with the Sony affiliated Weekday Records:

“We’re going through a transition right now […] We are now independent again, which is a really good feeling […] I don’t like being controlled (laughter) […] we’re really excited for the new chapter […] We’re just excited to have fun with our creative community. This past year was a really beautiful learning experience. We got guidance and learned a lot about having a full team. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s a good thing to be back with my feet on the ground, and us being able to create a bunch of stuff and not be tied down.”

Based on the kind of love and support that was evident at the El Rey, and the upcoming release of the four new songs she performed on this night, I have a feeling that LWR, the Scorpio Siren, will be just fine. Catch everyone at the next show 😉

Follow Lauren Ruth Ward on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram 

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Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
Lauren Ruth Ward @ El Rey Theatre 12/06/18. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.

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