Joanna Newsom
Orpheum Theater (Boston, MA)
December 6, 2015
Divers, the newly released album from Joanna Newsom, found a warm welcome in Boston as Newsom commenced a globe-spanning winter tour at the Orpheum Theater. Striking with confidence, Newsom opened her set with “Bridges and Balloons.” The song, harp-centered and sparse, unfolded as Newsom invited her accompanying band into the nautical tale. It was a familiar invitation from Newsom, and the lone song selected from her first album The Milk-Eyed Mender.
With animated expressions and unfurled fingers, Newsom crafted a vivid stage presence. Her dress of bold blues, with matching wrist band, illuminated the stage and its dusky landscape backdrop. Newsom, whose voice slipped up and around notes and trimmed phrases with abrupt syncopation, built energy and pace into the set. And as melismatic tones echoed the lyrical themes, Newsom aptly finished her night with “Time, as a Symptom” and “’81.” Godspeed, Joanna.
More info: http://www.dragcity.com/artists/joanna-newsom
Follow on Twitter: @itsJoannaNewsom
photos by Beth Doreian