Waxahatchee Delivers Heartfelt ‘Blood’ At NYC Concert

It was a homecoming of sorts for singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, who performs under the moniker Waxahatchee, when she played New York's Brooklyn Paramount on Saturday night. About 15 years ago, he lived in the neighborhood of Brooklyn. “I worked in a little coffee shop,” he recalled to the packed audience, “and I put on Waxahatchee's first album. It wasn't out yet and I'd like to gauge people's reaction. It was mixed reviews, you know . But if you had told me then that I would be here now, I wouldn't have believed you.”

Crutchfield has come a long way since those early days, as each subsequent Waxahatchee release has garnered both critical acclaim and a significant following, culminating in 2020's critically acclaimed release. Saint Cloud and his 2022 collaborative album with Jess Williamson, I walked with you in ways, like the Plains duo. With a sound that hearkens back to Lucinda Williams and other alt-country pioneers, the singer eloquently and effectively conveys the (romantic) trials and tribulations of the heart.

Last month, Crutchfield returned with another winning record, blood of tigerswhich is a continuation of the mined musical style Saint Cloud. Speaking about a recurring theme on the record, he told writer Ilana Kaplan in a recent Vogue interview:

“Something that kept coming up on that record was the breakup of friends. [It’s] very common when you get to a certain age, where you have friendships that have developed over a long period of time, and you naturally diverge down different paths. These relationships can be frustrating and just as emotionally taxing as a breakup. So I wanted to incorporate that. The entire disk is a snapshot. It's like, what's in it for me now? And that was one of the things that I felt really present right now.”

blood of tigers In fact, it was the focus of her final show of her current tour, as she and her band (which included Spencer Tweedy on drums) performed virtually every song from that album at the newly restored Brooklyn Paramount, starting the 90 minutes with “3 Sisters”. and followed by other singles/highlights from the new album such as “Right Back to It”, the title track, “Bored” and “365”. In addition to blood of tigersa good part of the set also included cuts from the Saint Cloud album like the heartfelt “Can't Do Much,” the rocker “Hell” and the lovely “Lilacs,” along with tracks from the Plains album (“Line of Sight” and “Hurricane” among them).

During the encore, Waxahatchee concluded the evening with a rousing performance of “Fire,” also by Saint Cloudthe letter of which—“If I could love you unconditionally / I could take the edges off the darkest sky / For some of us it's not enough”—seems to encapsulate what Waxahatchee's music is all about: life and love are both sweet and challenging.

Accompanied by her top-notch band, Crutchfield was in top form throughout the show with her wistful yet resonant voice and earnest persona. Judging by the crowd's exuberant reaction, his career path to playing a big stage like the recently opened Brooklyn Paramount (and he'll be doing it again at New York's beloved Beacon Theater in August) is very credible and deserved

The Waxahatchee World Tour continues through September 8th.

Set list:

3 sisters

Evil Spawn

Cold as ice

Not much can be done

problem with him

the eye

hell

Return to the right

It burns at midnight

boring

Lone Star Lake

Crimes of the heart

line of sight

witches

Lever

Ruby Falls

The Wolves

hurricane

lilacs

blood of tigers

Again:

Chapel of the Pines

Oxbow

365

fire