The Big Thief singer comes to town for her second independent tour
By Cris Nippard
On Nov. 16, I stood in a crowd full of hysteric lesbians with Adrianne Lenker sitting just eight meters away from us in a sylvan rocking chair. Throughout the night, she sang a myriad of angelic tunes from varying parts of her discography for her Toronto audience at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre while on tour for her newest album, Bright Future. The emotional nature of Lenker’s songs were amplified by the live accompaniment of pianist Nick Hakim and violinist Josefin Runsteen, who are featured on the album.
Lenker has been on tour since late April of this year, with the North American leg commencing in early June and finally making its way to Canada for its final month. Released earlier this year on March 22nd, Bright Future is Lenker’s sixth solo studio album and a smashing success. The album received universal acclaim, holding spots on international album charts and receiving a nomination in the 67th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Folk Album.
Lenker is one of the founders and the main vocalist of the popular indie folk & rock band Big Thief, which gained popularity in 2017 with their second studio album, Capacity. However, she has been recording independent albums since she was 14.
During the show, she played an assortment of songs from Big Thief’s discography, as well as some of her popular independent hits and songs from the new album. What stood out most about her Toronto show, in comparison to others on this tour, is that Lenker included a lot of personal and obscure music, dating back to her earliest solo release, Hours Were The Birds. Her merch table also reflected the personal quality of her craft, as it, quite literally, hit close to home. Alongside CDs and vinyl records, hats knitted by Lenker’s grandmother and posters painted by her mother adorned the table.
Before Lenker came on stage, opener Suzanne Vallie sat at an electronic keyboard and softly told us stories about her life and experience on the tour thus far. While she sang, the audience intently listened and swayed along to her Southern, harmonious prose. In between songs, she recounted her experiences working as a wedding bouquet maker in South Dakota. “Love is love,” she said and the crowd roared in response.
After Vallie finished her set, stagehands, clad in all black, quickly removed her piano and brought out the rocking chair with an accompanying side table and a white mug atop it. Lenker sat in the chair, parallel to Runsteen and Hakim and opened her set with “Orange” by Big Thief, a song from their 2019 album U.F.O.F. She followed it with one of her most popular solo songs and my favourite, “not a lot, just forever.” As she plucked the first few chords on her acoustic guitar, the crowd began to weep tenderly to her raw lyricism coursing through the auditorium.
Needless to say, the show was an intimate experience, with Lenker regularly interacting with the crowd between sets. After finishing the first song, she shared her appreciation for everyone who made it out to the show and to those who devotedly waited in line. From one of the front rows, an enthusiastic fan shared that they had been in line for over five hours. Shocked, Lenker asked them what song they would like her to play. Benevolently, she kept her promise, playing “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You” halfway through the show.
The highlight of the night was undoubtedly Lenker’s unveiling of an unreleased, untitled song she shared she’d been writing on the sly. She spoke to the audience about the importance of living in the moment and cherishing memories before earnestly asking everyone not to record the number. As the entire crowd went analog and put their phones away, we listened intently, soaking in the dreamy tune, trying to sing along while Lenker’s enchanting voice swathed our surroundings.
Most of the fans at the concert dressed up in their Adrianne Lenker best, with outfits ranging from flowing lace maxi skirts to complete cowboy getups. Lenker has self-identified as queer and has expressed a desire not to label herself beyond that, but it’s clear her fanbase deeply identifies with the consistent themes of defying the gender binary and authentic queer love in her music.
Local artist, Wylder Ohm, waited in line in the frigid five-degree weather for two hours to secure a front-row spot at the barricade for the duration of the show. They explained that they’ve been a fan of Lenker since 2020 and believe she is the best songwriter of our generation.
“[She’s] a really big inspiration. I’m really happy to know she’s alive and well,” said Ohm.
Undeniably, the rest of the crowd clearly shared Ohm’s sentiment, screaming along to Lenker’s singing and shouting various encouraging messages. “Thank you,” she said in response to the reverberation of “I love you’s” echoing through the sea of people. As she concluded the show with “anything,” arguably her most popular song since it blew up on TikTok during quarantine, the sold-out theatre sang along to every word, crying and holding each other. When the song ended, the audience yelled out for an encore through their tears. Lenker smiled and closed the show with “Real House,” the first track on her new album.
Cognizant of the colossal Eras Tour happening just a few short kilometres away, I couldn’t help but treasure the dedication, passion and intimacy of Adrianne Lenker and her fans lighting up the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
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