REVIEW: Dear The Beths, I Loved You The Whole Time
09/24 @ Basilica Hudson
Photos by Catherine Windover
“To be able to pull songs seemingly out of thin air and sound this well-rehearsed was impressive to say the least.”
The show on Thursday night began in the crowd.
I don't mean that in a metaphorical kind of way. Quite literally. Chelsea Jade stepped on stage for a mere moment to light a spotlight facing us and then re-emerged in the crowd, singing and strutting along a path lit by a flashlight she wielded. Unbeknownst to me, I was right on the edge of that path. Talk about a front row seat.
Jade’s performance was nothing if not courageous. She challenged the audience by commanding their attention — again, quite literally. At one point she crouched down inches in front of me, singing an entire verse while staring into my eyes, not breaking eye contact. This happened to multiple audience members throughout the set, an aspect I interpreted as her saying, “Don't look away; remain present." And how could we not? Whatever feelings we had about being the object of this performer’s gaze — discomfort, excitement, disbelief — she demanded we sit with them through every note.
With the exception of her last song, Jade spent the entire performance wandering through the venue, including the adjoining room. She moved with purposeful, flowy movements that were part Black Swan, part performance art, her brooding, dark pop songs creating the sonic atmosphere. Occasionally, she lifted her feet off the ground to jump along to the instrumentals as if in a dance club all her own.
Walking into Basilica feels like walking into the coolest party none of your friends know about. A room where anything can happen as long as it isn't something that happens anywhere else. Needless to say, this unique set from Chelsea Jade fit the vibe entirely, and the fact that she spent so much of her set with the crowd was apropos considering how much of the headliner’s set would also involve the audience.
When The Beths took the stage, it was immediately apparent they had something unique up their sleeves as well. The entire show was by request, but it wasn't just audience members drunkenly shouting “Freebird” like feral animals. No way; the band had a well-orchestrated plan for such a show.
The band’s opening song was decided by audience members as they entered the venue, by placing a bottle cap given to them at security to place in a box and vote for either “Future Me Hates Me” or “Knees Deep.” (The former won, but we got to hear both during the night anyway.)
We also all took a sheet of paper to write down a request of our own. The instructions were to either make a paper airplane or crumple it up into a ball and wait for the signal. The signal just so happened to come after song one, when the band cheekily donned safety goggles, counted down from three and the entire audience attempted to toss their papers onto the stage from the crowd. Each of the four members then picked up a paper at random and, voila! We had the next four songs on the set list, which were jotted down on a large blackboard by a person donning a giant pineapple head.
Yup. You read that correctly. If you feel like you're in the middle of a fever dream, just wait — we haven't even gotten to the fish yet.
That's right, the next set of songs were decided at the hands of a fish. A stuffed fish with a microphone in its mouth, to be precise. It was thrown into the crowd for audience members to speak requests into. The set was truly part indie rock show, part stand up comedy set. All four members were extremely personable, none taking themselves too seriously and each taking turns addressing the crowd with their delightful New Zealand accents, contributing to the nonstop fun.
To be able to pull songs seemingly out of thin air and sound this well-rehearsed was impressive to say the least. The entire band was in lock step with each other the entire night, no matter how deep (or shallow) a cut someone might've requested. They were all smiles, clearly enjoying their time together while singer Liz Stokes carried the songs with her infectious melodies. The rest of the band — guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Ben Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck — delivered duly impressive and acrobatic background vocals, at times conjuring to mind the Beach Boys. On top of all that, somehow, the set list was surprisingly well-paced.
A pair of older songs, “Jump Rope Gazers” and the frenetic “Uptown Girl,” got a particularly spirited response from the crowd. “2 AM” from Expert in a Dying Field was epic in Basilica’s cavernous space, washing over the crowd with a smattering of organized noise by the end (and that was only song three!) “Mother, Pray For Me” off their latest album, Straight Line Was a Lie, was a particularly poignant moment as Stokes performed it solo, clearly emotional as she sang lyrics like, “Mother, don't cry for me / I have done enough injury / I wanted to hurt you for the hurt you made in me / And I know that I'm why you cried / Mother, pray for me.” An extra shoutout to sound guy Gabriel for requesting the song I threw on stage, “Best Left.”
While most tours arrive in town with a pre-programmed set list and few variations, The Beths treated Basilica Hudson to a one-of-a-kind slate of songs that the audience themselves chose. I arrived a fan and left an even bigger fan, which is probably the biggest compliment one could pay a touring artist. Thanks for taking the 18-and-a-half flight, guys. I’d catch fish with you anytime.
