Excited chatter set to the backdrop of orchestral instruments being tuned filled the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall on July 30 where musician St. Vincent brought her ongoing tour, sharing the stage with the SF Symphony.<\/p>\n
St. Vincent is the stage name of singer-songwriter Annie Clark. Known for her inventive style and profound lyricism, her bold choice to pair her art pop indie catalog with an orchestra is a new notch on her belt. From her collaborations with the likes of David Byrne of the Talking Heads and Taylor Swift to her dabble in satirical cinema with the film \u201cThe Nowhere Inn,\u201d Clark is no stranger to versatility.<\/p>\n
Opener Arooj Aftab commenced the evening, accompanied solely by a guitar. Aftab\u2019s melodious vocals flowed through the hall in a beautifully simple set-up. Aftab\u2019s folk-adjacent style and Urdu lyrics were a perfectly atmospheric precursor to Clark\u2019s performance. Aftab congratulated the audience for finding their way to what she called \u201cthe coolest show in town,\u201d sending a ripple through the crowd.<\/p>\n
Clark began her set at 8:30 p.m. with the track \u201cHell is Near.\u201d She came in guns blazing, sporting her signature jet black bob, a gray blazer and a matching pleated skirt.<\/p>\n
The orchestra proved to be an incredibly theatrical accompaniment to Clark\u2019s intensely melancholic lyrics. Each instrument brought a unique twist to Clark\u2019s commanding voice, which lent itself to the atmosphere and sound of the symphony.<\/p>\n
Three songs in, Clark was handed a red guitar of her own creation, part of her signature line with Ernie Ball Music Man \u2014 along with the rest of her instrumental rotation for the evening!<\/p>\n
The addition of a guitar to the rawness of the orchestra seemed dubious until Clark began to play. The juxtaposition of the electric guitar and orchestra demonstrated the perfect combination of Clark\u2019s style and the symphony\u2019s fragility. Within seconds, a wave of awe crashed through the audience.<\/p>\n
With each instrument gradually building in perfect balance, watching Clark\u2019s set felt like witnessing the construction of her music, her vocals blending beautifully with the instrumentation.<\/p>\n
She continued to sing hits from her 2024 album All Born Screaming including \u201cReckless\u201d and \u201cViolent Times.\u201d She also turned back time with melodies such as \u201cMarrow\u201d and \u201cNow, Now\u201d from older albums, Actor and Marry Me.<\/p>\n
The only shortcoming of the show\u2019s symphony setting was the unfortunate lack of dramatic lighting that Clark\u2019s usual performances benefit from. Eventually, the lights changed to vibrant colors; however, the impossibility of experimenting with lighting at the venue was plain in the face of Clark\u2019s creative stylings.<\/p>\n
Until the second half of her show, Clark has had surprisingly little to say to the audience. Yet, once she launched into her 2021 single \u201cThe Nowhere Inn,\u201d her command over the stage intensified. As she danced around musicians\u2019 instruments and playfully patted them, she displayed humor and cheekiness.<\/p>\n
Soon after, she sang \u201cLos Ageless\u201d with the enthusiasm and whimsy of a true performer. With a cigarette as her prop, she humorously asked the audience for a light.<\/p>\n
In addition to witnessing the orchestral construction of Clark\u2019s music, \u201cLos Ageless\u201d was a highlight of the night. Masseduction, the album it lives in, is a deeply personal and experimental exploration. Stripped of its synth, the symphonic rendition of the song was high on emotion.<\/p>\n
Clark launched straight into \u201cNew York\u201d from the same album, running around the audience, encouraging them to stand up and clap. \u201cI have lost a hero\/ I have lost a friend,\u201d she sang to the sound of rhythmic applause and an elegant piano.<\/p>\n
Clark ended her set with \u201cParis is Burning.\u201d After a long applause, Clark and the orchestra returned for a tender encore with \u201cSlow Disco.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the years, Clark has consistently outdone her musical experimentation. Her orchestra tour withstands her love for experimenting with her sound, making for an impeccable combination. Clark\u2019s vocals, conductor Jules Buckley\u2019s prowess and the work of San Francisco Symphony proved to truly be the coolest show in town for the night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Excited chatter set to the backdrop of orchestral instruments being tuned filled the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":422716,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[1872,168688,168682,167703,88071,168685,168687,54353,168686,168693,168692,168690,168691,168694,4694,99854,10963,168695,86817,101,103,102,31162,104,106,105,168696,138440,10961,168684,10234,168683,168689],"class_list":["post-422715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-actor","tag-all-born-screaming","tag-annie-clark","tag-arooj-aftab","tag-david-byrne","tag-davies-hall","tag-ernie-ball-music-man","tag-guitar","tag-hell-is-near","tag-jules-buckley","tag-los-ageless","tag-marrow","tag-marry-me","tag-masseduction","tag-new-york","tag-now","tag-orchestra","tag-paris-is-burning","tag-reckless","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-san-francisco-symphony","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-slow-disco","tag-st-vincent","tag-symphony","tag-talking-heads","tag-taylor-swift","tag-the-nowhere-inn","tag-violent-times"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}