Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, and Julien Baker brought their highly anticipated Wild Hearts Tour to a captivated, sold-out audience in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The trio are among the most highly acclaimed artists in indie rock today, and each brought their own unique style that somehow created a whole that was even greater than the sum of their parts.
The show was originally scheduled for Bell’s Brewery’s Beer Garden but was moved to the larger Kalamazoo State Theatre after quickly selling out early this spring. While the move to a less intimate venue may have disappointed some of their most hardcore fans, it’s difficult to be upset with the beauty and acoustics of such a historic theater. The additional ticket sales also had the benefit of raising more funds for charity, thanks to the indie women rockers dedicating $1 from each ticket sale toward A New Way of Life. A New Way of Life is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that works on providing services to formerly incarcerated women. The organization focuses on providing safe housing to women who have recently been released from prison and helping them get their lives in order so they can successfully reenter society.
The tour is the result of Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen’s 2021 collaboration “Like I Used To,” which Pitchfork labeled “momentous” and “predestined to be a crowd-pleasing set closer.” That description was some serious foreshadowing because that is exactly the song the duo has been using to cap off each night of their tour this summer.
First, Julien Baker kicked off the evening. The 26-year-old Tennessee-native, who also happens to be a member of the indie supergroup Boygenius, eased into the night with the heartfelt “Sprained Ankle” that launched her career. She then mixed plenty of her latest works like “Bloodshot” and “Ziptie” that incorporate more electric guitar and a backing band for an almost pop-punk sound.
While Olsen and Van Etten have been alternating headline roles, it was Olsen who stepped into the middle set. It was hard not to be moved by Olsen’s powerful yet incredibly pretty voice, which carried lyrics of heartache, grief, and personal growth.
She began her portion of the night by giving fans a taste of her highly celebrated 2022 album Big Time, first with “Dream Thing” and then “Big Time” and “Ghost On.” Olsen then told the audience that she wrote her next just the night before. It turned out to be a joke, though, because the song was actually her 2016 hit “Shut Up Kiss Me.” Afterward, she let the audience in on the joke and explained how she likes to scare her publicist with things like that, which got a good laugh from the crowd.
After a short break, Olsen’s at times vintage country sound soon gave way for Sharon Van Etten who brought an energetic yet darker, more synth-infused style to close out the night. As opposed to Olsen, who was mostly in one place at the center of the stage, Van Etten was everywhere.
Her first song was “Headspace” from her 2022 album We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong. With a chorus that repeats “baby, don’t turn your back to me,” there was no way any backs were turned at this point in the night.
Van Etten then gave the crowd a highlight reel that combined her latest album with several crowd favorites, including arguably her most popular song “Every Time the Sun Comes Up” from her 2014 album Are We There. Van Etten really got the crowd dancing and swaying when she rocked out her industrial-tinged beat “Comeback Kid” featured on her 2019 album, Remind Me Tomorrow.
The encore was all about what brought the two co-headliners together in the first place, with Olsen joining Van Etten back on stage for their collaboration “Like I Used To.” Olsen’s country-tinged voice combined with Van Etten’s elegantly lower range to joyous effect. It was a fitting sendoff for such a powerhouse indie duo.
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ANGEL OLSEN
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