San Francisco – Hearing a favorite artist or band perform a stripped-down or acoustic set is a rare thrill. When it does happen, it brings back memories of the olden days of MTV, with programs like “MTV Unplugged,” offering a glimpse into the softer side of singers or groups that tended to be lost amongst the production involved in studio recordings. Brooklyn-based songstress and self-proclaimed hippie Sharon Van Etten did just that this Tuesday evening at San Francisco’s quaint venue The Chapel, and it was truly a one-night-only deal.
Ms. Van Etten’s set was the first in a new series sponsored by StubHub and Pandora, called “New Stage,” in which featured artists and bands put on free shows to a select few who RSVP in time and have the courage to wade through swarms of fans and scenesters looking to grab some free drinks. Pandora holds residence in neighboring Oakland, and so, naturally, the first of their new concert series was held in their backyard of San Francisco.
Van Etten had no opening act, and began promptly at 9 PM, shuffling onto the stage amidst a blanket of warm blue light. The setup was simple and effective, boasting only simple washes of red and blue light set against a plain black curtain, thus drawing all the attention to the musicians onstage. She brought with her longtime touring mate and friend, Heather Woods Broderick, on keyboard, guitar, and vocal harmonies; as well as Ms. Broderick’s brother Peter Broderick, who contributed delicate string arrangements and minimalist percussion.
As they swept onto the stage, Van Etten gave us the lowdown on the tone and purpose of the show, promising “alternative versions of [her] songs through the years,” and pleaded that we “have patience,” as many of these versions had never been played live before. Throughout her set, she was very cute, calm, and collected, never faltering but often offering up just the right amount of self-deprecation to garner some well-deserved love from the eager crowd.
Many of the set’s eleven songs hailed from Sharon’s latest release, this year’s excellent Are We There,alongside a few old songs including some B-sides and a couple live debuts. The trio opened with the first track from Are We There, the poignant and thoughtful “Afraid of Nothing,” which was not a far departure from the studio track as both versions are very minimalist in nature. From here she rolled right into “Life of His Own,” a B-side to the track “Leonard” from her 2012 album Tramp.
Sharon’s rapport with the audience was wonderful and playful, as she often engaged the audience with simple questions as segues into the next song she would play. For instance, before beginning “Life of His Own,” she coolly polled the audience to see how many “independent women’” were in the crowd, before sweetly dedicating the track to them.
After “Life of His Own,” Sharon went right into Are We There track “Tarifa,” followed by an old favorite “Consolation Prize.” At the conclusion of “Tarifa,” several audience members screamed “SHUT UP!” to the balcony overlooking the venue, occupied mostly by chatty VIP members who were obviously less-than-invested in the performance itself. Their cries were met by thunderous applause by the rest of the crowd, to which Sharon playfully retorted, “But I just got here!” This kind of outburst occurred once more after “Consolation Prize,” at which point Ms. Van Etten thought it appropriate to intervene, decreeing that there was to be “no fighting” as we were “all hippies here.”
Next came a live debut of a track from Tramp, “Hotel 2 Tango,” which was the B-side to “We Are Fine.” For this song and the two that followed it—Are We There out-take “I Always Fall Apart” (which Van Etten stated was “about having [her] shit together”) and Are We There standout “I Love You But I’m Lost,” (“a little progression from the last song, I’m feeling a little better now”) Ms. Van Etten left her post at the guitar and sat at the piano. Her piano playing, while not terribly decorative or experimental, was highly technical, effective, and beautiful, despite her constant insistence that she was a sub-par pianist.
“Our Love,” from Are We There followed; the track’s recently released music video, Van Etten commented, had little approval from her mother. For the live song, Heather Woods Broderick took the guitar while Sharon helmed a synthesizer/looping machine to give the track an underlying rhythmic tranquility, alongside soft claps from by the trio.
“Tornado,” another track lifted from her 2009 debut Because I Was In Love, followed. Again, Ms. Van Etten gave a spirited introduction to the song, claiming she wrote it in her parents’ basement “as an adult,” in a time she was trying to find herself. The final two tracks of Ms. Van Etten’s set were also, fittingly, fromAre We There. The first was the “only somewhat upbeat song” of the evening- the closing track of the album, “Every Time The Sun Comes Up,” a sassy, tongue-in-cheek ballad of self-exploration which Sharon admitted she penned when she was “quite stoned.” The live setting and the richness of her and Broderick’s vocal harmonies, matched with Peter Broderick’s ethereal musical presence, made this one of the most memorable songs of the evening.
For the last song of the set, the Brodericks left the stage and Sharon took to the piano once more for a sweet and electrifyingly organic take on popular Are We There piece “I Know.” The track, she explained, came out of a decision she had to make between touring or being in a steady relationship. At long last, the entire crowd was finally silent, enraptured in Sharon’s dynamic and unabashed rawness and vulnerability. At the song’s conclusion, the crowd erupted with enthusiastic applause, and she nonchalantly turned to the audience and said, “Thank you, seriously,” before making a goofy face and said in a silly voice, “and thank you jokingly” Completely endeared, the audience cheered even louder as Sharon waved farewell and skipped offstage.
Following an uncharacteristically long pre-encore applause period—one of those times when it gets to the point where you’re not sure if there’ll actually be an encore—Ms. Van Etten fluttered back onstage and took her seat at the piano once more. For her encore, Sharon decided to do a cover by folk artist Karen Dalton, a song called “Red Are The Flowers.” Sharon’s version was astoundingly beautiful—even though once again she claimed to be a terrible piano player—and was the perfect way to end such a wonderful, intimate performance.
Ms. Van Etten’s performance was incredibly moving and altogether flawless; despite the cacophony that often surrounded me, I found myself so entranced with Sharon and her seemingly naturalistic position upon the stage. The two musicians that flanked her, Heather Woods Broderick and her brother Peter Broderick, added simplistic yet perfectly suited backing instrumentation and ambience, rounding out this stripped-down set into pearl-like smoothness and sheen.
I very much look forward to the future of this “New Stage” series, yet for this show all the credit must go to Ms. Van Etten. This set was somber, fragile, and admittedly bleak at times, but it is rare to see something so pure and so honest. I think it’ll be a long time before anyone actually screams, “Shut up!” to Sharon Van Etten.
Sharon Van Etten’s new album Are We There is now available via Jagjaguwar. For more information visit http://www.sharonvanetten.com
Corey Bell
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