I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: April 16, 2018] Waxahatchee

I really enjoyed the newest Waxahatchee album and I was keen on seeing them/her.  Waxahatchee is more or less the work of Katie Crutchfield.

It amused me that I had purchased a ticket for this show and then a few weeks later I got a ticket for Superchunk and their opening band was Swearin’.  One of the lead singers in Swearin’ is Allison Crutchfield, Katie’s sister.  So I’d be seeing both Crutchfield sisters in less than a month.

I also learned recently that Allison usually performs with Katie in Waxahatchee when they tour.  And she did.  So I have seen and heard Allison Crutchfield quite a lot in the last month or so.

They played for an hour and ten minutes.  How do I know this?  Because the guy in front of me filmed the entire show on his phone and I could see the timer at the top.  And not just standing still and filming, he was swooping and angling, zooming in and trying to get every scene.  It was a little creepy to be behind him, I must admit.

Both Katie and Allison called Philadelphia home for a while, so this was a homecoming for them.  Katie said that she wrote most of the new album while in Philly.  

The show started with Allison setting up her gear.  Since I didn’t know that Allison was playing I thought it was Katie (with a haircut, I mean they are twins).  I was puzzled why she was setting up on the far side of the stage and not the center.  But she wound up by the keyboards and then Katie came out.  Surprise.

They started “Recite Remorse” and it sounded fantastic.  It was a slower opening but Katie sounded just like on the record.

Allison stayed on the right as I faced the stage.  She played guitar and keys and sang some gorgeous harmonies.  They followed that up with “Silver” another super catchy new song.

But center stage was all Katie.  She played guitar (acoustic and electric) and sang and was charming and funny throughout.

On the left side of the stage was their bassist Katherine Simonetti and lead guitarist Ali Donohue.  They hung back quite a bit but they were essential to most of the songs (except when Katie played solo).

In the back was drummer Ashley Arnwine.  The three together made a terrific backing band.  Totally solid and rocking.

They played 7 or 8 (of ten) songs from the newest album (which is what I came to hear).

I don’t know Waxahatchee’s earlier records so I don’t know the names of every song they played. Looking at other dates it seems the set list was the same at most of the shows. But reading a review of this show, it says they played 19 songs for us.  Most of the other venues got around 15.

They typically played two songs from the new album and then an older one or two.  So the first two were followed a song from Ivy Tripp‘ or Cerulean Salt.

“Sparks Fly” (one of my favorites on the record) sounded amazing.

They also went back and forth between fast songs and slower ones.  But with nearly every song, I loved hearing Katie and Allison sing together.

I was really impressed by lead guitarist Ali Donohue.  From where I was standing she was a little too quiet but she was a non-stop whirlwind of leads.  She made it really hard for me to know who to watch.

Katie played a couple of songs solo.  “La Loose” featured just her on her acoustic guitar.  And later when she came back out for the encore, it was her alone.  She played three songs as an encore.  I didn’t know any of them but she said one was Kevin Morby’s “Downtown Lights.”

It was a really enjoyable set.  And it turns out they are opening for Courtney Barnett later this fall, so I might just see them again.

 

1. Recite Remorse
2. Silver
3. Poison
4. Misery Over Dispute
5. 8 Ball
6. The Dirt
7. Sparks Fly
8. Never Been Wrong
9. Swan Dive
10. A Little More
11. Coast to Coast
12. No Question
13. Peace and Quiet
14. La Loose
15. Under a Rock
16. Downtown Lights