REVIEW: Angelina Valente’s Stunning Trio Performance in Glens Falls
04/17 @ The Park Theater
“...undoubtedly one of the most powerful voices in all of 518 music, but she maintains such a sincere and authentic presence in both her songwriting and in her shows.”
As I sat with Andy Scullin in the historic Park Theater on Friday night eagerly awaiting Angelina Valente’s return performance from some brief time away from the stage, we talked about its status as a hidden gem of the 518 music scene.
The Park first opened its doors as the first movie theater in Glens Falls all the way back in 1911, and hosted silent films and vaudeville shows until 1935. After several other lives over the ensuing near-century, it was reopened as a state-of-the-art performance venue in 2018 and has established itself right at the heart of the Glens Falls music and arts scene ever since. In that way, it was a perfect fit for Angelina’s first performance after a short hiatus; she’s established herself at the heart of the 518 music scene as well within a similar window of time, and that parallel trajectory has led to their paths crossing before with a previous booking at the performance shell at Glens Falls’ Crandall Park.
She began the set by introducing the rest of her trio, made up of Alex Grandy on acoustic guitar and JP Hubbs (who is also her fiance) on grand piano. She emphasized their excitement to be returning to the friendly confines of the Park Theater, a place she said they always have a tremendous experience performing at. They kicked off the set with “Caught Up In the Rain” before transitioning into “Fall Into Place,” which is among her next set of songs to be released. It was at this time that the audience at the Park became the first live audience to hear the news that Angelina has been laying down tracks for her next album since January, and many of those songs would be included in the set.
Another song from the new batch that was making its debut during the evening was “Learning to Let Go,” which Angelina shared a playful backstory about: she had recorded the idea on her phone and forgotten about it, only to rediscover it years later when browsing through her voice memos while using the restroom. In addition to the new songs there were plenty of previously-released songs for the crowd to sing along to, including “Take Me Back” which had a lovely crowd singalong on the hook as we all collectively indulged in a song of pining for the past. “Higher Places” and a few other tracks brought some funky, almost gospel-esque tones to the set. Those flavors were present and blended for a premium mix along with hints of americana, folk, and soul. Angelina and Alex even performed a duet of Alex’s tune “The Song You Wrote”, which Angelina sang with him on his most recent solo album.
Among the most poignant moments of the evening was the performance of “Broken,” on which Angelina digs deep about coming to terms with the repeated trauma of physical difficulties and the experience of longing for a working body while cycling through seemingly endless doctors appointments.
And that is part of what makes Angelina Valente so special as a performer: she’s undoubtedly one of the most powerful voices in all of 518 music, but she maintains such a sincere and authentic presence in both her songwriting and in her shows. With every story in between songs, she relates to the audience and peels back the curtain a little, making us all feel like we’re a part of her life and her support system (and like she and her music are a part of ours). Throughout the night, there were lighthearted moments and charming stories about life with your partner and candid talk about struggling with an autoimmune condition, which has left Angelina with a recurring joint issue that has impacted her ability to play on occasion and led to her utilizing more backing musicians. In spite of that, this performance was a triumphant return to the stage in the face of such adversity and you could feel the catharsis of the performance in every brilliantly belted note.
The trio closed their evening out with Angelina’s 2023 single “Riverside” from her award-winning record, Sing. It’s a lighthearted romp of a song about leaving your troubles behind and letting nature be your medicine. It served as a great way to round out the night and as a reminder that, although there will always be troubles and things that might be heavy, it doesn’t do us any good to let that weight bear down. It’s much better to indulge in the things that fill us up, and that’s exactly what Angelina Valente and the entire crowd at the Park Theater got to do last Friday night.
