Florence + the Machine at Red Rocks Amphitheatre

So many vocalists sing from such a dark place, their voices cracked and wavering over lyrics of lost love and intense heartbreak. Not true for Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine, whose performance at Red Rocks Wednesday night seemed to be distilled from pure joy.

A pre-Raphaelite goofball for the majority of the evening, she bounded barefoot across the stage, dirtied the hem of her flowing evening dress, and alternately emitted implausibly-sustained high notes and unexpected belly laughs. And even though Welch and her band acknowledged that they were playing to a crowd recently touched by tragedy, the core spirit of the songs, the performance, and the evening was one of unflinching hope.

The wind had mercifully died down before Florence + the Machine began their set with “Only If For a Night,” which received an unashamedly enthusiastic welcome from the sold-out crowd. It was immediately apparent that Welch could get away with backing her spectacular vocals with even a mediocre band, but with strong backup singers, bold yet calculated percussionists and Isabella “The Machine” Summers' impassioned keys, the effect was almost overwhelming. Between the band and the venue, and that unmistakable voice, songs like “What the Water Gave Me” took on anthemic proportions.