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Angel Olsen played MHOW w/ Promised Land Sound (pics)

photos by Amanda Hatfield, words by Andrew Sacher

Angel Olsen @ Music Hall of Williamsburg – 5/13/14
Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen brought her current tour to NYC last night (5/13) for a show at Music Hall of Williamsburg, her second sold-out show here this year. In between songs, she was in casual mode, cracking little sarcastic jokes with the crowd (“We’re gonna do one more,” she said after the first song of the set), but when the band was playing there was nothing casual about it. Like I’ve said before, and as anyone who’s seen her likely knows, as Angel’s singing she locks into a thousand-yard stare and never lets up, which makes for a very intense show.

Her set was pretty varied between material off her fantastic 2014 album Burn Your Fire For No Witness, songs off its predecessor Half Way Home and other non-album tracks like “Sweet Dreams.” The whole thing was great, but the highlight for me came when she ended the show without her band for three solo songs, including the devastating 7-minute “White Fire” off her new album. She was just barely picking her guitar and if anyone in the crowd was talking you’d easily hear them. I’m pretty sure no one was.

When she left the stage after the solo section, the crowd really wanted her to come back. The standard “we’re all cheering but she’ll obviously do an encore” turned into a synchronized clap from the crowd really trying to get her to do one more. When the lights and house music finally came back on (after the venue milked it for a bit and a band member teased the crowd by kicking open the backstage door) I heard multiple groans and more than one person say they still had hope she’d come back.

Pictures of the show, including Promised Land Sound, who opened with their harmony-laden twang rock and jam band tendencies, are in this post. They continue below…

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Promised Land Sound

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen