Photos and Review by Emily Gringorten
@emgringo

Adrianne Lenker delivered a stunning and heartfelt set at the Fox Theater in Oakland on June 17th, 2024. The singer-songwriter is in the midst of a mostly sold-out tour across the US supporting her new LP Bright Future, released earlier this year.

Around 9 PM, Lenker took the stage as adoring fans at the barricade shouted their praise. “She’s so beautiful!” one exclaimed behind me. She sat down on a stool in the center of the stage, picked up her guitar, and started off the set with plenty of Big Thief songs including “Simulation Swarm,” “U.F.O.F,” “The Only Place,” and “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You.” Audience members listened quietly and attentively as if their lives depended on hearing each of Lenker’s beautiful vocal inflections.

I thought the stage design perfectly matched her understated and humble persona. The show had a very stripped-down and minimal vibe to it, but ingeniously used colored lights to create different eye-catching patterns and settings around her. The audience was enthralled with Lenker’s performance, as evidenced by the thunderous applause and cheering that followed every song.

Around halfway through, “Vampire Empire” marked a turning point; no one could resist screaming the lyrics this time, and every song after was a beautiful duet between her and the crowd. She even brought an audience member on stage to play harmonica for a slightly off-key but heartwarming rendition of “Indiana.” Later she was joined by opener Nick Hakim on piano and Josefin Runsteen on violin to finish off the set. Lenker played more of her solo songs like “Sadness as a Gift” and my favorite “not a lot, just forever.” She ended the night with a brief encore, re-emerging to play fan favorite “anything.”

For the latest news and tour information, check out www.adriannelenker.com and @adriannelenker.