The line streaming out of the House of Blues on Saturday was wrapped around the block, and Red Sox fans passing by paused to ask who was playing at the popular Boston venue. The crowd was there for Lucy Dacus’ sold-out show on her tour for her latest album Home Video.
The genre-bending musician Bartees Strange warmed up the crowd as the opening act. His slower song “Going Going” captivated listeners as they found their spot in the throng of people gathered on the floor. “Flagey God,” a track from his new album Live Forever, got people dancing to the intense, electronic dance beat. At the end of his set, Strange thanked the crowd, walking off stage to enthusiastic cheers.
Even before Dacus began her set, the backdrop of the stage inspired feelings of nostalgia that complemented the personal stories she told through her lyrics. A gentle draped curtain hung across the back of the stage, awash in light purple and blue lights. In the center of the stage, a large picture frame hung and clips from home videos played in the center, showing images of Dacus as a newborn child and as a young girl singing alongside classmates.
The lights went down as Dacus walked to the center of stage in the dark with the crowd roaring in anticipation and the first strums of her guitar reverberating through the room. Suddenly lit in blue light, Dacus opened the show with her song “Triple Dog Dare.” The track set the tone for the concert as the lyrics shared an intimate story of young love but still energized the crowd with instrumental crescendos.
After playing through five of her songs, including “First Time” and “Addictions,” Dacus paused to welcome the crowd and introduce herself.
“This is the biggest headlining show we’ve ever done,” Dacus said to the screaming audience.
Jumping right into her popular track off her new album “VBS,” Dacus’ voice blended with the crowd’s as the audience enthusiastically sang along. Straying from the more mellow and gentle songs, Dacus and her band danced across the stage to their rock rendition of “La Vie En Rose.”
Dacus is well known as a member of the band boygenius alongside Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker, but the packed concert proves that her solo music has attracted her own loyal fan base as concertgoers emotionally sang her lyrics with her.
Throughout the night, Dacus would switch between her electric guitars and an acoustic one depending on the track. When she transitioned to playing her softer ballads, such as “Please Stay,” Dacus swayed in the center of the stage, holding her hands neatly in front of her as she sang of a precious friendship in her melodious voice. Her storytelling skills were on full display as she gracefully gestured to the crowd and people stood mesmerized.
As the night went on, Dacus seemed to get comfortable with the audience and responded to their shouts as she casually took a moment to tune her guitar before she jumped into “Partner in Crime.” Using a pedalboard at her feet, Dacus added electronic effects to her voice as it crackled in the crescendo. Keeping the crowd engaged and entertained, Dacus invited Strange and his band onstage to sing Dacus’ song “Going Going Gone.” She also goofily danced across the stage with her bassist to “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore.”
Before playing the final song, “Night Shift,” Dacus thanked her audience, calling them “simply one of the best crowds.”
“I can’t see your mouths, which is good, but I can hear you singing,” Dacus said. “And it’s really the most magical feeling I get to feel in my life.”
Drawn back out onto the stage for an encore performance, Dacus returned with a disposable camera in hand to take a picture of the audience. To close out the show, the band played a cover of “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen, and then Dacus stayed to play one final acoustic song. She prefaced the track as a new song she had been working on and requested that the audience not record or share the unreleased tune. The audience stood in silence listening to the soft ballad—no phones in sight—before everyone streamed out the doors.
Featured Images by Katherine Canniff / Heights Editor
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