St. Vincent at Metro
Thankfully, St. Vincent instantly destroyed such concerns by opening the show with "Marry Me" and "The Strangers." Both were polished and crisp like the album recordings. (Really, it's hard to remember a time when the Metro's sound was ever better.) Although it's hard to imagine a watered-down version of the albums, it's still impressive to see them performed so faithfully. This is quite the feat; 2007's Marry Me and the recent Actor aren't easy albums to emulate live by any means. Take a look at Actor: The album is built from layer upon layer of beautiful instrumentals, vocals, and noise, but Clark and the boys made performing that elaborate spectrum of sound seem effortless.
Obviously, the star of the show was Clark. After orchestrating two elaborate and hauntingly beautiful albums, let alone having been a member of The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens' band, she is a master of effects pedals. In the middle of a song, she’d kneel in front of her microphone, fiddle with some knobs, pop back up, and her voice would echo like it did on the album. She's an amazing singer, has incredible finesse and skill with a guitar and, by way of her erratic stage movements, can charm a smile onto the face of the most cynical audience member. And she’s beautiful, too. (Clark’s appearance was the primary topic of discussion overheard by the audience before, during, and after the show.)
But to solely credit her as the reason why the live show was so faithful to the records would be a mistake. The rest of the band shined: Anthony LaMarca’s understated drumming, Daniel Hart’s even-keeled violin playing, William Flynn’s surprise clarinet proficiency, and Evan Smith’s mastery of the saxophone and flute all combined to make the audience feel like they were listening to the group on headphones.
The most awe-inspiring moments of the show occurred when the band worked in such tight harmony that it became hard to distinguish whether a sound was a saxophone or guitar, Clark’s voice, or the flute. This is a band that leans heavily on unison, whether it is instrument-to-instrument or instrument-to-voice, and they pulled off the sound perfectly. During the show’s closer, “Your Lips Are Red,” the bandmates played their respective instruments feverishly to create a wall of white noise, working as one unit instead of five individuals. To call the band “tight” would be an understatement.
If you missed the show last night, can catch the band at a free show tonight at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. And, until then, here's her video for "Actor Out Of Work":
