photos by Vito Ingerto
The artist that is St. Vincent is ever evolving. Her eight studio albums have run the gamut from
the sublimely divine to sad and unsettling. Her songs forge small movies in your brain that
touch on every human emotion. Marry Me evokes images erudite and sacred. Actor seems to
hint at a persons decent into mania. Masseduction examines aspirations, cravings and yearning
run riot. Daddy’s Home drips with nostalgia. Her latest release All Born Screaming congers
images of a vulnerable search for a secure home, a safe space where everything is ok. Annie
Clark AKA St. Vincent brought the All Born Screaming Tour to the Palace St. Paul on Thursday
for the first of a two night stand.
St. Vincent opened the show with “Reckless” off All Born Screaming. Silhouetted by a single
strikingly bright backlight, she perched on an archway in the center of the stage, regal and
imposing. She descended to the stage after a verse or two and continued to belt out the song
with an enthusiastic energy that would continue throughout the evenings performance.
There was a different St. Vincent in St. Paul on Thursday night than the one I’ve covered in
previous tour stops. She was captivating, gregarious and really seemed to be having fun. When
thanking the crowd for coming to St. Paul to see the show, she mentioned Minneapolis but in a
tongue in cheek manor said she didn’t want to start a civil war. At one point she jumped from the
stage into the audience and asked if anyone knew where the bathroom was.
The current touring band is stacked with talented musicians. Not sure who replaced Jason Falkner on this leg
of the tour. But they obviously have balls big enough and chops worthy to share the stage with shredmaster St.
Vincent, and the moments when they connected on stage, for example during “Fear The Future”, were pure sorcery. Mark Guiliana and Charlotte Kemp Muhl were a potent rhythm section. Rachel Eckroth on the keys and backing vocals added atmospheric highlights to the performance.
Even her encore was more intimate on this evening. She sat on the stage facing the crowd
rocking some of her own tour merch in a self described “Pageantry of Narcissism”. She closed
the show with “Somebody Like Me” with just Eckroth’s keys as backup, appearing both
vulnerable and resilient as she pondered the mysteries of life. I like this approachable and
congenial version of St. Vincent, and look forward to the next evolution of the artist.
