My goal is to see one show per week. Yes, I might be that annoying friend that just has to tell you about the thing you missed, but I’m also catching every great show in the city of Chicago–with plenty more ahead of me. Welcome to the Chicago Concert Dispatch.
At the time of this show, it is 31 weeks into the year and I have seen 140 shows.
Sharon Van Etten was extremely gracious and thanked the people working at the venue and on the tour. I was truly gratified when she said many kind words about the opener, Chicago band Dehd. One of those words was “rad,” and I couldn’t agree more. Van Etten said that she was fascinated by the two very different yet complimentary voices in Dehd. She explained furhter that the real marvel is bassist, Emily Kempf’s voice–her range is incredible, and her power, impressive.
Since Van Etten summed it up so perfectly, I’ll attempt to add to the conversation with some particulars from the show:
Dehd was working with a tight space at the center of the stage. Jason Balla had his signature windsock-man moves, but he couldn’t run his guitar around the stage. Drummer Eric McGrady was his usual stoic self at center stage holding down the beat of their lo-fi jangly rock and anchoring the visual performance as well. They were completely at ease with their rock star status–it was as if as long as they were on stage, all was right with the world. They played a number of favorites from their recently released album, Water. Of particular relevance to a Lolla aftershow, they launched into “Sunburn,” in a dad joke kind of way.
Dehd rolled through the music, and the crew of fans up front gave each other meaningful looks at the tunes that were clearly new–and really great! I particularly liked “Flyin” on the set list. I’m giddy for new music!
It was my first time seeing Sharon Van Etten, and for all the wonderful things I had heard, I was not prepared–or disappointed, for that matter. She gave us every ounce of her energy. She moved in ways that felt muscular and confident, but also a little dorky. She did hand gestures that acted out what she was singing and moved around the stage, dancing, but she wasn’t taking it too seriously. Van Etten relished the silly moments. Sometimes, she laughed at herself or with her bandmates. She moved around the stage and took in the audience singing with her. She looked deep into their eyes, urging them to sing and feel the music with her. The connection was palpable and not something that every performer has the confidence (or talent) to pull off.
I was bowled over by her voice. She sang up and down her range and wailed for us. She was skilled at using the mic to create dynamics and waves within her voice–something that takes oodles of practice. Her band was stellar, supporting her music with tight composition. The backup vocals by keys player Heather Woods Broderick were a perfect compliment to Van Etten’s voice. The way they blended and harmonized gave me shivers, but it all boiled down to that connection Van Etten had with her audience.
The highlights of the night were her cover of “Fade Away” by Mazzy Star, many declarations of excitement from my crew. And. The performance of “Seventeen.” When she approached that unforgettable screaming of the verse, “I know what you’re gonna be…,” she fell to her knees and sang it with the audience. Even those of us not in shouting reach of the mic were near fainting with the intensity of the moment. At her Lollapalooza performance the next day, rumor has it she said she blew out her voice giving us her all at Lincoln Hall. I feel bad about that, but I will cherish the memory of her pouring out her soul at this show for all time.
Dehd Official | Bandcamp | Instagram
Sharon Van Etten Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
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