Read previous – Big Thief at Union Transfer in Philly
Photos and words by Rosi Lamela
I drove into Brooklyn Saturday night to see a band I had fallen in love with years ago and never had a chance to catch live. Kings Theatre is a beautiful venue with its majestic decor and a historic vibe that makes you wonder what stories it could tell of the beautiful music that has filled its halls. Getting to see and hear Big Thief at such a place made me grateful to be a music lover. This is one band that has been on my bucket list for years. The day had finally come and having the honor to photograph them had me feeling some kind of way.
The closest I ever got to a Big Thief performance was when I saw Adrianne Lenker do her solo show at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City (check out my coverage here). As I spoke to the fans in the crowd all I kept hearing was, “you’ve never seen Big Thief live? You are missing out!!” After getting major FOMO, I took every opportunity to make sure to catch them on their next tour. I’m finally one of those fans who can look at someone in dismay and wonder about them never having the experience.
Kara-Lis Coverdale opened up the night with her electronically composed music. The silence really allowed the sounds to bellow around us. I did close my eyes for a bit as Coverdale’s music is soft and peaceful with bass that you can feel through your body (unless that was just a side effect of being in the photo pit). If there were ghosts in the theater Saturday night, they were definitely awakened and floating around as Coverdale filled the hall with her sound.
Then came the most anticipated part of the evening. The band walked on stage and the show was much of what I expected and then some. They played new songs from their latest release Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, such as “Change”, “Flower of Blood” and “Certainty”. I was more taken back by their performances of classics like “Masterpiece”, “Not” and “Cattails.” I was told I missed “Shark Smile” that they performed Friday night (on their first of 2 shows at Kings Theatre) which is reason enough to see the band again.
Big Thief has this perfect mixture of rock, folk, and bluegrass that is especially present when you hear them live. There were times during the show where the guitars were loud and noisy only to come down to what was at times was an acoustic set. It was a sweet night in Brooklyn on Saturday and I’m happy I can check this band off the list – that is until next time!
They’ll be continuing their North American tour until mid-May where they’ll wrap up on the West Coast – see all of their upcoming tour dates here. Check out the video for “Red Moon” (from Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You) below and keep scrolling to see more photos from the show.
