Big Thief Concert Review
Design by Mo Krueger
By Maya Sien
It is no secret to those in my life that I am a huge fan of Big Thief, having consistently remained in my Spotify top 5 since the ripe age of 14. Therefore, it goes without saying this was an unforgettable experience. I had previously seen the band back in 2023 however at that time Big Thief, and Adrienne Lenker, had not yet received the flowers and appraisal that were to follow in the upcoming months. I was eager to see how they had evolved in the following years. The venue was somewhat large yet had this intimate feeling—as if you could still somehow make out every face in the room. I think this performance in particular reminded me of the joy of live music—what makes it so powerful, so tantalizing, how it’s constantly fleeting yet the imprints of chords and words stick in your mind. That is what I think makes this group so special.
The set started off with a handful of songs from the band’s newest album Double Infinity, an album that sets an almost psychedelic, larger-than-life atmosphere. This tour (and past album) comes at a very interesting time in the band’s history as their founding bassist, Max Oleartchik, left the band in July of 2024, leaving the original members to attempt to expand their sound into a new normal. Joshua Crumbly has been their touring bassist and a contributor on the Double Infinity album. His performance was captivating and peaceful, as if there was no effort made. He fit in well with the other sounds of the band and simply played with them. By play I don’t mean “to pluck a string” but play with the music; to have fun with each and every sound or rhythm that is ever-changing and evolving through each time a song is sung.
There is a certain tangibility of what to expect when coming into a concert– Big Thief takes away that tangibility or expectations and replaces it with an experience. Not a single song played throughout the set sounded like a studio recording. It reminded me that we come to concerts to hear real music that can ebb and flow. The band indulged in the beauty of music’s fluidity—the ability to go on forever, to change what was written. Throughout their performance of “Not,” Adrienne Lenker spilled her heart and soul out, electric guitar soaring into the stratosphere. It felt like the song could never stop, and I never wanted it to. Seeing an artist fall into their “zone” is something that always sticks with me—when they become so in their element, doing what they were set on this earth to create. It’s absolutely mesmerizing, all-consuming even. Lenker can have such a powerful presence, but then it went soft.
Silence falls across the room as Lenker begins to talk to the crowd and members on stage. She is soft-spoken, soothing. She has one of those voices that makes you want to melt into a puddle of mush. She talks of gratitude to be in a place as special as Boston, somewhere with such a strong community, and reflects on some of her time in the city. She then turns to Buck Meek, the other guitarist, and asks him to play one of his own songs. I saw Meek open for the band at the Dragon New Warm Mountain Tour and have become a fan of his solo music since. He has a similar soothing quality to Lenker, but with a little more of a plucky sound that strikes the ears in just the right way. As he searched through his mind for any of his discography, he began to play the opening chords of his song “Paredolia.” As the words began to leave his mouth, he quickly stopped citing he’d rather just watch and play guitar. “I was enjoying myself before,” he says. The crowd and Lenker began to laugh; it’s a quaint moment that served as a reminder of the innate humanity of the setting and people on stage. We were all simply a group gathered together to watch another group do what they wanted to do.
Lenker thinks in the silence, then begins to play her solo song “not a lot, just forever.” I don’t know if I was simply not expecting it, but tears began to stream down my cheeks. Compared to everything else played that night, it was so stripped down, so vulnerable. I heard every word, every syllable infiltrated my thoughts. There was something powerful within the vulnerability of a single instrument, a single voice. I saw this concert on the birthday of my friend in high school who passed away our junior year. As the lights began to glow a deep purple, the color we use for her, the tears wouldn’t stop. It’s beautiful how music can bring up such strong emotions, it was a healing experience to see someone so stripped down on stage. I think, just for a moment, it allowed us all to be afraid, be vulnerable, be loved, be human.
The concert closed out on a high with a three-song encore featuring “Change,” “Vampire Empire,” and “Spud Infinity.” People’s spirits began to rise and were filled with joy over the upbeat melodies growing and growing. The instruments began to interact, playing off of each other as the musicians truly listened to each other and played with the confines of the songs they breathed life into. Big Thief is a band that truly has creative drive, a desire to create something beautiful with the innate tools they have been given. This concert was an unforgettable reminder of the transformative qualities of live music, and the beauty we have as people to create.