After a short wait, Sharon Van Etten graced the stage, setting up her guitar and launching into “Peace Signs” from her second album Epic, introducing the Sydney Festival audience to her signature strumming style that would be utilised throughout the set. Van Etten was joined by a three-piece band: lead guitar (Doug Keith), drums (Ben Lord) and the multitalented Heather Woods Broderick on backing vocals, bass, keys and effects.
I noticed, a few songs in, that Van Etten had tears rolling down her cheeks. Whether it had to do with the personal subject matter of the songs or the fact that this was the final show in a yearlong tour I’ll never know.
As the show went on, Van Etten gradually became more comfortable in the environment, talking with the crowd in a self-deprecating manner, which from my observations made all those in attendance want to embrace her in a group hug. One of the stage banter highlights was when someone yelled out a reference from The Castle (Van Etten had mentioned a recent holiday), and straight away she shot back with: “This show’s going straight to the pool room!”
The bigger numbers, “Serpents” and “Magic Chords” from highly praised current album, Tramp, were delivered flawlessly, without fanfare.
What makes Van Etten and her music/performance so special is that she still has the awkward and endearing presence of someone much less established. She seemed genuinely surprised by the crowd’s response, which helped to break down the performer/audience divide. She held back her vocals, letting a few hints of her vocal range slip through, so that when she really let go everyone was floored by its clarity and strength.
Another highlight was when band members jammed together, lead guitarist Keith using a bow that managed to create a giant wall of sound that you could almost feel pushing on the confines of the tent. He emerged from the floor with a broken bow and a huge smile on his face.
After a one-song encore they took a bow and left, only to return a few minutes later to pack up their gear, giving one grateful fan the opportunity to gush her admiration.
