Saint Vincent Pabst Theater Milwaukee Review

St. Vincent is early in her latest tour, and supporting the new Strange Mercy album. She stopped at the Pabst Theater last night, and I wondered if a Monday in Milwaukee would mean a sparse crowd. Yes, the balcony was closed off, but by the time that her opening act finished her set, the lower level was full. The lights went out, Annie Clark came out, and the crowd cheered her on before the first note filled the theater. The band opened with Cruel, and they played songs mostly from her new disk. They diverted along the way to play three tracks from The Actor, and a cover who's title escapes me at the moment. Backing Clark was a pair of keyboard players and a drummer. This was quite different from the last tour, where we were entertained by violin, keys, and a small woodwind assortment.

Strange Mercy has at least six solid songs on it, and I had no doubt that those tunes would carry over well in a live setting. What surprised me was how much I liked the softer, deeper tracks. The song Strange Mercy came across so much better live than what I have come to know on the disk. I also loved the short and sweet interactions that she put forth between songs. She left the crowd little to dwell upon but the music, and that makes her even more mysterious as a person. Once again, a few drunk males shouted out the usual "I love you" crap, but she played it off, if acknowledging them at all.

To me, the best part of the evening was her opening number during the encore. She came out and sang The Party with just keys backing her up. She revealed to the crowd an operatic vocal power that required her to back away from the microphone when she closed out the song. I will not soon forget that moment in the evening, as that alone was worth the price of admission.

Throughout the eventing, I did feel that she was holding back a bit on her solos, but still pulled them off well enough. I don't need convincing that she's got serious guitar chops; I just wish that she would have torn the heads off of those in the orchestra pit with at least one killer solo. My concert partner wished she would have played Paris is Burning, but alas it was not to be. Perhaps next time for both items on our list.

Strange Mercy by St. Vincent | Strange Teaser Videos First

The first Strange Mercy teaser video involved young women talking directly into the camera and saying things like "Is you hair supposed to look like that?" The next video shows newborn kitties and a somewhat curious mother cat keeping an eye on the camera. Where is St. Vincent leading us? Teaser video is right. Finally, why did Annie Clark record this new album in Dallas? I'm scared.

St. Vincent Follow Up Album Titled Strange Mercy

The track list of the new St. Vincent album titled Strange Mercy reveals nothing more than words. Recorded at 4AD studio, I must say that it looks like the right environment for Ms. Clark. Milwaukee will be the third stop on the tour, and they are playing at the Pabst Theater.
As Ms. Clark had to record most of the tracks to her second album in her apartment, she was forced to keep the volume levels down. Did she restrict herself to that same quiet creativity on the new album? We will all find out on 9/13.

St. Vincent Turner Hall tickets in Hand Already

St. Vincent was on Austin City Limits a few weeks back. They had just played in Milwaukee prior to that television broadcast. I had no idea who they were when they passed through town. If I had, I would have bought Riverside Theater tickets for that show. I thought the typical thoughts when I miss a live show. They might be back next year.

In the case of St. Vincent, the wait won't be too long. They come to Turner Hall on February 17th, and I already have my ticket in hand. After playing their disk Actor about 15 times, I'm a fan of this eclectic band.

What do I like about St. Vincent. First, their videos are stories that don't insult your senses with thousands of 1 second clips. That's got to be the most annoying thing about videos. Second, the songs don't take the usual path. The vocal melodies may follow too closely with the actual notes on the keys or violin, but I'll live with that. Any disk that has more than two great songs on it is surprising. Actor has at least six well written songs. Save Me From What I want, Black Rainbow, Laughing With A Mouth of Blood all satisfy.

If I were to pick the best song on Actor, it would have to be The Party. The story she tells comes to life with the first line. Staying too late at a party, licking the ice cubes, cleaning the ashtrays and fixating on a hole in a t-shirt. It's all so real. Annie Clark doesn't whisper this melody. She just sings it out loud, and I like that very much. See you in February St. Vincent.