Angel Olsen played two NYC shows with Alex Cameron (Webster Hall pics & setlist)
“Oh wow, you’re all still here,” Angel Olsen half-jokingly said after playing “Shut Up Kiss Me” very early on at her sold-out Webster Hall show on Saturday (9/17). It’s one of the singles off her excellent new album My Woman — her best album yet and one of 2016’s best indie rock albums — and it’s the first time it’s felt like she has an actual big song. (Over a million plays on YouTube/Spotify, radio play on SiriusXM, etc.) Of course anyone would be silly to leave a show after the third song, but it did feel like it said something about the dedication of her fanbase, that she could play that one so early on and keep the crowd very engaged for the next hour and a half. Her set leaned pretty heavily on slow songs, and it was clear that everyone was focused intently on her and her band. Even on the quietest moments, you didn’t hear much (or any) crowd chatter or people escaping to the bar.
Her band, by the way, is now a six-piece and it’s unquestionably the best live setup she’s had yet. Including Angel Olsen herself, there are now three guitarists, plus a bassist, drummer, and a backup singer. They also all came in matching suits (except Angel) and played in front of a simple-but-elegant backdrop. It’s clearly the most focused her show has ever been appearance-wise, and it makes a difference. The larger band also makes for a louder and tighter show. Though a lot of the set was quieter, the louder moments were where they really felt mesmerizing — “Shut Up Kiss Me” of course, plus “Not Gonna Kill You,” “Give It Up,” the end of “Windows,” and more. Her bare-bones side is just as good in its own way, but the power of those live songs really elevated her live show.
The Webster Hall show was her second of two sold-out NYC shows this past weekend, including Warsaw the next night. Both were opened by Australia’s Secretly Canadian-signed Alex Cameron. He’s got a handful of late ’70s and ’80s influences, like Springsteen, Suicide, and Nick Cave, the latter of which may have influenced his hairstyle too, and he’s a very quirky guy on stage. His only accompaniment was a sax player, with the rest of the music all pre-recorded. Solid opening set, though I’d love to see him work those songs out with a band.
Pictures of the Webster Hall show are in the gallery above. Angel Olsen’s setlist below.
Angel Olsen @ Webster Hall – 9/17/16 Setlist (via)
Never Be Mine
Hi-Five
Shut Up Kiss Me
Lights Out
Heart Shaped Face
Sister
Those Were the Days
Drunk and with Dreams
Acrobat
Windows
Not Gonna Kill You
Sweet Dreams
Forgiven/Forgotten
Give It Up
Encore:
Intern
Woman
—
photos by Amanda Hatfield
