Big Thief gives Indianapolis an especially intimate set
Indianapolis - July 29th, 2023
Despite the heat of a late July afternoon, there was unbounded happiness wandering through the line that curved around the Old National Centre in Indianapolis. It was as if the earth-tone and merch-adorned crowd already anticipated how special this show would be. As the sun began its slow descent into the horizon, the venue’s sandy toned walls collected its waves of gold and opened its doors to another night of eager concertgoers.
Between thanking his friends in Big Thief to reminiscing on the last time he’d played in Indiana, Nick Hakim and his three piece band took to the stage shortly after 8 for what is one of his last opening performances for the touring folk rock group. His ability to quickly charm the audience can be accredited to the casual sensuality of his alternative R&B style, played up by husky vocals, attentive guitar playing, and the occasional flirting with a keyboard. Nearly every track was swimming in psychedelia, featuring slow build ups that all but rushed into their full band outros and comfortably created a romantic start to the evening.
The magic of the night began with a solo performance by Big Thief’s lead singer, Adrianne Lenker, of “Indiana”. It was nostalgic, fitting, and incredibly special to witness as it’s not a song they perform at every stop. It seemed to inspire a string of less frequently performed tracks like the full band debut of “Real House” which Lenker described as a continuation of its predecessor “Mythological Beauty”, which hasn’t been played since 2020. Following this triple threat of rarities was “Flower of Blood”, the first track they played from their 2022 album “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You”. The four piece group met the energy of lights still red in bubbling angst for “Not” and “Contact”, each hailing from different records and yet united by the screams of instruments and voices that ripped out from surrounding speakers and indulged excitable audience members.
Next they circled back to the tour’s namesake album for “Simulation Swarm”. Not only is this one of their most popular songs to date but also an obvious crowd favorite shown by the way they sang every word loyally, bobbing heads to the familiar rhythm. “Words”, which is currently unreleased, followed with lyrics calling onto the subconscious mind in times where “words are tired and tense”. The audience showed their gratitude with a roar of applause, to which Lenker responded “that’s a baby song, I don’t know how it’ll grow!” With the help of guitarist Buck Meek, who's strumming style is circular and singular, she followed the moment with a double acoustic rendition of “UFOF”.
The night’s performance of title track “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You” initially instilled a confusion within the crowd, until the words came from under this more edgy version and out of the audience’s mouths. Compared to the gentle, floating earthiness of the studio version, the live execution was stripped and stacked against itself. The receptiveness of listeners was met with smiles exchanged between bassist Max Oleartchik and drummer Jason Burger.
A little over halfway through the set came overnight sensation “Vampire Empire”. Fans jumped breathlessly and sang along to every word, even ones that didn’t make it to the final version including “I’m the fish and she’s my gills” which Lenker allowed to slip in before the first chorus. This performance carried into “Certainty”, where she approached and engaged the crowd in the ironically uncertain love it sings of. This sweetness carried into the third unreleased song titled “Born For Loving You”, where tender words met the coolness of blue-green lights. The way the crowd began to sing along was nothing short of admirable and a true ode to the band’s significance in their lives.
“Masterpiece”, in which the first guitar strum sent the crowd into a frenzy, and “Spud Infinity'', where the group was accompanied by twangy jaw harp playing from Lenker’s brother, would have been the end of the night had it not been for the crowd’s earning of a three song encore. They ended up obliging a fan’s request to play “Paul” through an intimate a cappella sing along, which was less than the song’s nature but more than anybody could have hoped for. If you were intentional enough, you could feel the tenderness that coursed through the sea of fans during “Change” and “Cattails”, which marked the end of this most special set. Dragon and sparrow figurines that adorned the stage kept the audience company as they soaked in the lingering electricity in the air, and eventually made their way downstairs and out into the night.
You can check out Big Thief live at their remaining tour dates:
07-31 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre *
08-03 Vancouver, British Columbia - Orpheum Theatre *
08-04 Portland, OR - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater *
08-05 Seattle, WA - Marymoor Amphitheater *