Sharon Van Etten at Parkteatret

The American singer-songwriter Sharon Von Etten played a solid concert at Parkteatret on the 10th of April.

There’s music playing in the background. Parkteatret stage is still empty and waiting for the arrival of Sharon Van Etten. As soon as she enters, she is warmly received by the audience, and with no further ado kick off the concert with Jupiter 4 from her new album “Remind Me Tomorrow”. Coincidely, this is also the name of her European tour.

The sound envelops you

There is a shoegaze-like atmosphere over the act, both in terms of music, lights, and fog effects. Sharon’s voice is soft and her lyrics are delivered sharply and clearly, accompanied by the subdued melodies emerging from the synths. Less in your face, the music leaves you with a feeling that the sound just envelops you. Already by the second song, Comeback kid, you feel the full power of her voice, the drums and the bass.

No one is easy to love allows the bass to truly impress, making you feel as if thunders are rolling out of the instrument. The song ends with a shout from the crowd: fantastico! Sharon approaches her audience in a delicate way, announcing there’ll also be a few songs from her previous albums. Right away she takes her beautiful red guitar to play One Day and Tarifa, probably two of the songs where her voice shines the most. They are performed beautifully, bringing the audience mellow summer vibes.

For most of her new songs, Sharon abstains from playing the guitars completely. This allows her to concentrate on the vocals, which gives the performance more of a electro-rock feel. However, during the songs from her previous album, she favors the guitar sound (sometimes using two), giving the songs the feeling of folk songs or pure rock which the audience quickly responds to.

Remarkable harmonies

A monochromatic backdrop, a white drape lighted up in either all red or all blue or all yellow, sets the stage. Only the silhouettes of the band add visual interest. The setup works well, and is especially striking when Sharon is left alone to perform on her organ, playing a cover of Black Boys on Mopeds by Sinéad O’Connor, an homage to an artist she grew up listening to.

Sharon’s articulated and strong vocals shines with Malibu. The harmonies between her and Heather Woods Broderick’s backup vocals and synth-work are remarkable; particularly during Memorial Day, when they alternate between main and support vocals. However, Sharon’s vocal disappoints a bit during songs such as Seventeen, when the singing is sacrificed in favor of roughness and volume.

After the encore, Sharon’s band are introduced and they go on to play another three songs, leaving the audience happy. They also seemed to enjoy the song selection, as well as its mix between old and new material. Sharon’s songs are really strong live, and her performance makes it blatantly clear they are meant to be experienced this way.

Sharon Van Etten @ Parkteatret 10.04.2019: 9/10

Setlist:

Jupiter 4
Comeback Kid
No One’s Easy to Love
One Day
Tarifa
Memorial Day
You Shadow
Malibu
Hands
Black Boys on Mopeds -Sinéad O’Connor cover
Seventeen
Every Time The Sun Comes Up
Stay

Encore:
I Told You Everything
Serpents
Love More