Wait Til Your Father Gets Home

Wednesday night, I watched a live-stream show by musician Annie Clarke aka St. Vincent. Most attendees knew that it wasn't a live concert. There were some reasons why this show was pre-recorded. The first one had to do with the visual effects. Her latest album, Daddy's Home, was steeped in early 70s sounds. People are calling it St. Vincent's Bowie phase with a hint of Pink Floyd and other luminaries. So for the concert, they "filmed" it in 4:3 aspect ratio as well as applying sepia tones, star flares, graininess, and other post-production effects to make it as though you were watching a TV taping from 40 years ago. None of this is achievable with a live show.

But with pre-taping, they were also able to take advantage of the entire theatre. Songs were not only recorded onstage but also in the green room, sitting in the theatre seats, and even in the "old Hollywood glam" foyer when Clarke sang New York accompanied by Rachel Eckroth on a baby grand.

It was a fun way to visually experience this retro aesthetics. But afterwards, I was thinking that this was the easier way to generate this vibe. The alternative, to watch the 70s in full HD (e.g., think period-accurate costumes on a new Brady Bunch movie), would have been more costly and labour intensive.

The New York number encapsulated perhaps the most exciting aspect of this show for the audience. First, Clarke has assembled some notable talents in the indie music scene for her Down and Out Downtown Band. They made their debut on Saturday Night Live a few months back. Tonight, their live playing added so much energy and vitality to her music. Clarke changes with every album. But the recent songs, with their warmer tones, are perhaps more inviting than her previous stylized persona. Second, as much as fans loved new tunes like Pay Your Way In Pain, Daddy's Home, or Down, they wanted to hear her old songs reworked with this 70s sound as Clarke has hinted at on social media. So numbers like Mass Seduction, Digital Witness, and Cheerleader were met with ecstatic kudos in the chat.

As great as everyone was, the 3 backup singers with their wonderful harmonies made the biggest impact. They elevated Clarke's songs especially her back catalogue to a whole new level. Many people tonight was adamant that they had to see St. Vincent on tour in the fall so they can experience this band and those vocal harmonies at a live venue.