Chicago’s Richard H. Driehaus (or just Driehaus) Museum “explores the art, architecture and design of the late 19th-century with a focus on the Gilded Age.” It was the perfect setting for an intimate, “romantical” show from one Lucy Dacus, whose forthcoming album Forever Is a Feeling centers on the gauziest of those gauzy, first-love feelings.
The record is dut at the end of March, but Dacus gave fans a little taster of those vibes last Thursday in a stripped-down format of two acoustic guitars (Dacus and Alan Good Parker), a baby grand piano and a violin (Phoenix Rousiamanis) — all ensconced in a gilded, velvet, ornate environment that felt truly special.
Dori Zori and I had a balcony view that allowed us to soak in the atmosphere and a pile of those forthcoming songs (with classics like “VBS” and “Night Shift” in the mix). The full set, particularly those new entries, had a special glow not only because of their un-electrified state, but also because of the newness. In fact, Dacus jokingly admitted some of the lyrics were so wordy and the structures so new, she’d probably be stumbling a bit and out of breath.
But she took it all in stride, seated between two cups of tea, in front of a rapt audience. It was a captivating balance between the ornate and the laid-back. Here’s our post-show, drive-home take:
Erin Wolf: Going into the show, never having seen her live, I was simply taken by the atmosphere of the whole evening — the building, the stage setting and the warmth of the crowd. And when her accompanist, Rousiamanis, came out and started playing the baby grand piano onstage, I was drawn into a different world.
She first started playing the piano percussively, striking the strings and hammers, then playing these sparse notes that morphed into a more romantic, classical style. Her violin-playing throughout the set was also very interesting with its more percussive nature — just digging into the strings to substitute for the absence of bass, almost.
What struck me about the whole setting most was that there was this beautiful scene set with these classically romantic vibes, but the warmth of the crowd was informal and warm. It was such a cool balance. There was a fan in the audience who had knit Lucy a hat, which she later wore. She was also very interactive with everyone, and some of the audience was singing along at full-tilt, headbanging for emphasis when she name-dropped Slayer in “VBS.”
Dori Zori: I loved the girls that were headbanging. And then when she finally gave the audience permission to sing along and said she missed being in a room with people singing together? Oh my god. It was like a “clutch my fake pearls” moment … a little “aw!” The cutest, ever.
I loved the new songs, and it kinda goes back to that whole storytelling thing she does. One of the cool things about seeing a show like this in a place like that is I so hear the music before I hear the words in songs. But going to an intimate show like that? It really allows me to just listen to what she’s singing and actually hear and digest the words instead of having to listen to a song that we’ve played for three months before I finally connect with the words. So, that was really special for me.
I was also wondering: Was she singing about one person? Because all those songs sounded so personal. You get little glimpses into her life. But then she also has ways to put a little sense of humor in it, which I enjoy. It’s not like she’s a super clever wordsmith (in my mind). It’s just the way she puts stuff together and how she says it and how she sings it that is very beautiful to me.
EW: I also loved being able to hear songs before they get released to the general public — like before the album releases, you see the artist performing the songs live for a show. It’s only happened a couple times for me.
And not just one song or two, but most of them, because when you do hear the recorded version finally, it has a different resonance. There’s more depth to the songs. It was a really awesome way to be introduced to these new songs, especially since they were acoustic, because once they do become more filled out, you’re like, “Whoa!”
DZ: Totally. It’s like same song but different vibe then, right?
EW: Yeah. Same song, different font, as Carolann says.
Lucy Dacus has two upcoming dates at the Chicago Theatre with Katie Gavin of MUNA and jasmine.4.t on May 1 and 2. Forever Is a Feeling is out March 28 on Geffen Records.
