You know you’ve seen a grand show when you wish you could buy a ticket to the second night showing, but are saddened by the fact the second night showing is sold out. That was me at the St. Vincent concert last night.
John and I travelled to the 2nd Street District to watch St. Vincent perform at ACL Live @ the Moody Theater (ok, I travelled. He ubered). She’s on her Fear the Future tour, touring with opening act Tuck & Patti. The jazz duo, fun fact, is St. Vincent’s (aka Annie Clark) aunt and uncle. John and I did not see Tuck & Patti as 1) we did not realize they were related to St. Vincent and 2) we were dying of hunger and freezing to death so missed the opening act to get a quick bite at Joe’s Coffee down the street.
St. Vincent. Oh man, it was an experience. The first half of the show it’s just her and her guitar in front of the curtain. It’s very personal despite the fact she’s singing in one of Austin’s bigger music venues. Her voice is raw. Her voice takes you on a journey of storytelling. You feel like you are hearing the old school 1940s Disney singers but at the same time you are hearing the modern day sound. You feel the pit in your stomach (in a good way) when you hear her sing “Johnny Boy”, which is sung full of emotion.
The second part of her show is a visual experience. The curtains are drawn back and the screens are turned on. Snippet loops from St. Vincent’s music videos follow each song she performs. It’s beautiful. It’s simple. What I like best is that the visuals don’t take away from her voice. It emphasizes it.
My favorite part of the show was the intro to “New York”, one of my favorite songs from her. St. Vincent is a Texan (I am overlooking her Oklahoma birth), coming from the Dallas area. She sang an Austin version of “New York”, substituting the New York street names for Austin ones. For example, First Avenue I’m pretty sure she substituted with Congress Avenue. 8th Avenue was changed to South First (or Sixth Street?). She got the audience involved to. People shouted notorious Austin streets and places. She then got into how her sister was a student at UT and when Annie would visit, they’d go to Sixth before it was Sixth and party in true college fashion.
I highly recommend catching her show. Hell, if you need to get on a plane to watch her live, do it. It’s worth every penny. She is not the type of artist that plays song after song after song. She connects with the audience by sharing stories not about the different cities she’s toured or 100% music, but slices of her life that I feel you don’t get with other musicians. 10/10 St. Vincent. Can’t wait for you to return to ATX!
Zelly & Ol' Hem's 
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