The mystical Weyes Blood played to a sold-out crowd on night 2 of her weekend stint at Brooklyn Steel.
The stage was set with candelabras and mist as a band dressed in all black gather behind their instruments to start off the night and as they began to play, Weyes Blood entered like a divine spirit, dressed in an elegant white dress with a flowing cape, asserting herself like an angel sent from above and ready to lead us through a seance of her enchanting musical tunes. Beginning with the opening to last year's marvelous record And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, "It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody" was a stunning kick-off to the night, the flowing tranquility swelling with emotion and taking on a larger than life presence and she galavanted across the stage, spinning her cape with effortless twirls, taking firm hold of the night and leading us all through an event that was mesmerizing at every twist and turn. Basked in Satanic red hues of light, it was an empowering performance that somehow seemed to transcend itself with each track as Weyes Blood mixed her Laurel Canyon folk vibes with darker overtones that still proved to ever so inviting, if at first a bit intimidating. Like a gothic Carole King, her boisterous melodies melted the crowd with hopes and desires, almost like a rebirth of spirits that acted like a cleanse to whatever negativity may have lingered in the air, like a light in the darkness and a path forward towards resilience. "Children of the Empire" bounced with joyful rhythm, the delectable pop attributes coming through with stunning passion as her stage presence took control of the room, everyone following along to her sermon-like visions and triumphant showmanship. Between songs, she shared her hysterical dry humor and challenged the notions of astrology (all made up from her point of view), asking the crowd if they could identify what singular sign belonged to every member of the band and then using that as proof towards the claim that the belief is indeed made-up and while she is in fact a gemini, she identifies as a Scorpio. My favorite remark was when a fan shouted out "Mercury is in retrograde" and she replied "Mercury is in gatorade and that sandwich you ate early will determine more for your day than anything else." For "God Turned Me Into a Flower" she displayed an intriguing visual of mixed footage that gave more to her divinity vibes as she proclaimed "let's go to church on this one" and as she danced in near darkness, it became clear that she was leading us all through something truly special and moving. "Andromeda" was watermark moment that saw the crowd perk-up to their highest moment of the night while "Grapevine" proved to be the magical track that leapt off-stage and took hold, reaching towering heights as her velvety voice cut through the cosmic tunes to deliver one of her strongest moments yet. "This one is our vivacious dance song so get ready to mosh or 'soft bash' as we like to call it" she said before a buoyant "Everyday" which did indeed get the crowd moving to the most euphoric track of the night, once again those splendid '70s melodies really taking hold and transforming the typical darkness into something full of technicolor wonder. Playing with such conviction and confidence, Natalie was in full command of the night and her theatrical stage show equally matched her esteemed demeanor. Her growth as an artist coming across with flying colors and she displayed pure magic and near brilliance on numerous occasions. "So, someone broke my heart today" she said towards the end of the evening "so even though my heart isn't glowing, I'm still going to play 'Hearts Aglow' for you all." In what could've been a sad moment, the crowd instantly got behind her to boo the person who devastated her, but also to show solidarity as she graced us with such a moving song that surely has been inspiring to so many people. She returned for a brief encore to play "Something to Believe" which she described as the summary of the night and really the song that best encapsulates the performance in general before ending with a touching solo rendition of "Picture Me Better." Playing equally from her last two records, it was a crowd pleasing affair that left many in a state of total bliss and confirmed her status as one ready to carry the torch for the next generation of mystical folk singers.
Set list:
02 "Children of the Empire"
03 "A Lot's Gonna Change"
04 "God Turn Me Into a Flower"
05 "Andromeda"
06 "Grapevine"
07 "A Given Thing"
08 "Everyday"
09 "Wild Time"
10 "Twin Flame"
11 "Movies"
12 "Hearts Aglow"
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13 "Something to Believe"
14 "Picture Me Better"
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