Chicago’s Most Eclectic Independent Music Publication

Latest News

  • Legendary Mask Maker, Zagone Studios, Approaches Fifty-Years Of Innovation Right Here In Chicago
  • Art News: Punk Rock & Paintbrushes Continues 2025 Season With Galleries At Festivals Including Riot Fest
  • The Dead Return, Dead & Company Announce Homecoming Show In Golden Gate Park Featuring Billy Strings, Sturgill Simpson & Trey Anastasio
  • SEE CHICAGO DANCE’S 20th ANNIVERSARY SHARES PERFORMERS AND ORGANIZATIONS AS PART OF THE RETURN OF CHICAGO DANCE MONTH
  • Need Help Picking Out That Perfect Record Player For Your Latest Album Purchases? We’ve Got You Covered. Top 10 Best Vinyl Record Players In 2025.
  • Photo Gallery: Nitzer Ebb live in Chicago at The Riviera Theatre
  • Home
  • Music News
    • Breaking News
    • Features
    • This Just In
    • Interviews
    • Reviews
    • ITLM OTRS
    • Local Loop
    • Musical Theatre
    • ChiBluesBro’s Jukebox Reviews
  • Media
    • Photos
    • Videos
    • Streaming Live
  • Events
  • Festivals
  • Promotions
  • About
  • Contact
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Youtube

St. Vincent Live In Chicago At Chicago Theatre

Jan 15, 2018 James Currie Features, Music News, Reviews 0


St. Vincent Live In Chicago At Chicago Theatre

By Christoper David

The list of artists who have used the twin pillars of fame and celebrity to play around with the ideas of fame and celebrity is long – beginning, arguably, with the late, great(est) David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust, the alter-ego his fame had allowed him to create, and which gave him the greatest fame of his storied career. Do it too early in your career, and it may come across as ironic, indie-rock nonsense. Do it too late in your career, and you come across as desperate. Timing is everything, when it comes to using the platform of rock-stardom to playfully mock— and thereby unironically align oneself with—rock-stardom.

Thankfully for all of us, Annie Clark—otherwise known to the world as St. Vincent—has nailed her timing.

To anyone paying attention over the course of Clark’s first four albums leading up to last year’s electro-pop masterpiece Masseduction, her ascent to stardom has been something to watch, her records ever-evolving slabs of intricately written and elegantly executed studio porn, with hooks that consistently defy genre and a style that falls somewhere between Kate Bush and Prince filtered through the cold electronica of ‘80s Gary Numan. And at her Chicago stop on the Masseduction tour this past Friday, Clark proved how and why she’s headed toward permanent membership in that elite club of artists who will forever write their own rules.

Entering the Chicago Theatre, concertgoers were given old-school, xeroxed ‘programs’ for the show, akin to that of a high school drama club on pink paper with ransom note lettering, that laid out the show in three acts. First was “Genesis,” i.e. the openers – Clark’s own aunt and uncle, acoustic duo Tuck and Patti, with whom Clark spent her formative years touring and learning the nuance of performance. For part two (titled “Fear”), Clark took the stage, alone, in a pink leather outfit that wouldn’t have looked out of place on Sheila E. circa 1985. Opening with a set of greatest hits from her first four albums, the stage gradually unfolded in curtained- off sections, with Clark moving from mic to mic, a visual representation of her movement across the stage.

Then, part three, titled “Fantasy”: Masseduction, “performed as a multimedia piece, my live ‘Lemonade.’” As a mission statement, it couldn’t have been clearer, and for the remainder of the night, the crowd watched as Clark, on a circular center-stage, backdropped by mini-movies depicting creepily futuristic mockeries of show prep, makeup chairs, plastic surgery, and album promotion (one song featured Clark approaching a bank of press conference microphones before vomiting pink paint and glitter), work through the entirety of the new record. The whole thing had a decidedly David-Lynchian atmosphere, of characters who knew they were characters singing to an audience, of a lone artist delivering her vision of the world, herself, and our collective consciousness through a deliberate filter of artificiality.

To that end, notice that, earlier, I said she was alone. She was, indeed: there was no band for this show, nothing but Clark and her guitar, with the entire backing band on tape or behind the scenes, highlighting the fact that St. Vincent is an entity unto herself but not alone – and as a statement on our current culture’s obsession with celebrity through the filter of social media and web ‘presence’ (which, let’s be honest, is anything but real), it was as much as masterpiece of performance art as the album itself. Not that Clark wasn’t there in body and spirit – she was more than appreciative, telling the crowd of her love of Chicago before introducing “New York” – because as the program said, “we all get to decide what power looks like on us and for us.”

And of course, let us not leave her guitar-playing in the dust, because as anyone who saw her SNL performances a few years ago knows, she has weirdly incredible chops, a propensity toward a kind of mechanical, ear-wormy riffage that comes out at random intervals and halts everyone in their tracks. A clear subscriber to the less-is-more school of melodic soloing ala

The Edge and Mike Campbell, Clark never fails to surprise in her phase-shifting moments of inspiration.

A great part of the pleasure in this performance was the very performer-esque aspect of it, subtle at times and overt at others. A freshly-coifed St. Vincent answered phones on a video loop during “Young Lover” and sported fresh plastic-surgery bandages during a room-shaking “Los Ageless,” and earlier in the show, Clark stood at one end of the spotlit stage, singing the refrain from “Cheerleader” at a giant, shadow version of herself on the opposite curtain. “I don’t want to be a cheerleader no more,” she wailed at a larger, less-defined version of herself, the symbolism of which should have been lost on no one. To cop from a certain Starman’s promo materials circa 1972, “Annie Clark is St. Vincent. St. Vincent is Annie Clark.” May that line remain blurred as we watch one of the best artists of our time continue growing into whatever her fantasy decides she should be.

Setlist: St. Vincent – Chicago Theater, January 12, 2018

Marry Me
Now, Now
The Strangers
Actor Out of Work
Cruel
Cheerleader
Strange Mercy
Digital Witness Rattlesnakes
Birth in Reverse
Hang On Me
Pills
Masseduction Sugarboys
Los Ageless
Happy Birthday, Johnny Savior
New York
Fear the Future
Young Lover
Dancing With a Ghost Slow Disco
Smoking Section

facebookShare on Facebook
TwitterTweet
FollowFollow us
PinterestSave

  • tweet
Anthrax Set To Embark On The Killthrax Tour With Stop In Joliet, Also Announce New Live DVD Dave Matthews Band Announce 2018 Summer Tour With 2 Days in Chicago and New Studio Album

James Currie

Related Articles
  • Legendary Mask Maker, Zagone Studios, Approaches Fifty-Years Of Innovation Right Here In Chicago
    Legendary Mask Maker, Zagone Studios,...

    Oct 25, 2021 1

  • Art News: Punk Rock & Paintbrushes Continues 2025 Season With Galleries At Festivals Including Riot Fest
    Art News: Punk Rock & Paintbrushes...

    May 22, 2025 0

  • The Dead Return, Dead & Company Announce Homecoming Show In Golden Gate Park Featuring Billy Strings, Sturgill Simpson & Trey Anastasio
    The Dead Return, Dead & Company...

    May 21, 2025 0

  • SEE CHICAGO DANCE’S 20th ANNIVERSARY SHARES PERFORMERS AND ORGANIZATIONS AS PART OF THE RETURN OF CHICAGO DANCE MONTH
    SEE CHICAGO DANCE’S 20th ANNIVERSARY...

    May 21, 2025 0

  • Need Help Picking Out That Perfect Record Player For Your Latest Album Purchases? We’ve Got You Covered. Top 10 Best Vinyl Record Players In 2025.
    Need Help Picking Out That Perfect...

    May 20, 2025 0

More in this category
  • Art News: Punk Rock & Paintbrushes Continues 2025 Season With Galleries At Festivals Including Riot Fest
    Art News: Punk Rock & Paintbrushes...

    May 22, 2025 0

  • The Dead Return, Dead & Company Announce Homecoming Show In Golden Gate Park Featuring Billy Strings, Sturgill Simpson & Trey Anastasio
    The Dead Return, Dead & Company...

    May 21, 2025 0

  • SEE CHICAGO DANCE’S 20th ANNIVERSARY SHARES PERFORMERS AND ORGANIZATIONS AS PART OF THE RETURN OF CHICAGO DANCE MONTH
    SEE CHICAGO DANCE’S 20th ANNIVERSARY...

    May 21, 2025 0

  • Need Help Picking Out That Perfect Record Player For Your Latest Album Purchases? We’ve Got You Covered. Top 10 Best Vinyl Record Players In 2025.
    Need Help Picking Out That Perfect...

    May 20, 2025 0


Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Categories

CALENDAR

May 2025
S M T W T F S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Apr    
Spotify Top 50 Global

Archives

  • May 2025 (17)
  • April 2025 (26)
  • March 2025 (25)
  • February 2025 (13)
  • January 2025 (8)
  • December 2024 (13)
  • November 2024 (10)
  • October 2024 (12)
  • September 2024 (20)
  • August 2024 (15)
  • July 2024 (30)
  • June 2024 (17)
  • May 2024 (23)
  • April 2024 (19)
  • March 2024 (14)
  • February 2024 (16)
  • January 2024 (5)
  • December 2023 (7)
  • November 2023 (15)
  • October 2023 (5)
  • September 2023 (22)
  • August 2023 (9)
  • July 2023 (9)
  • June 2023 (12)
  • May 2023 (9)
  • April 2023 (11)
  • March 2023 (15)
  • February 2023 (18)
  • January 2023 (9)
  • December 2022 (4)
  • November 2022 (5)
  • October 2022 (12)
  • September 2022 (28)
  • August 2022 (28)
  • July 2022 (39)
  • June 2022 (21)
  • May 2022 (20)
  • April 2022 (13)
  • March 2022 (33)
  • February 2022 (21)
  • January 2022 (22)
  • December 2021 (11)
  • November 2021 (15)
  • October 2021 (16)
  • September 2021 (36)
  • August 2021 (21)
  • July 2021 (26)
  • June 2021 (27)
  • May 2021 (13)
  • April 2021 (13)
  • March 2021 (12)
  • February 2021 (4)
  • January 2021 (2)
  • December 2020 (7)
  • November 2020 (4)
  • October 2020 (3)
  • September 2020 (10)
  • August 2020 (6)
  • July 2020 (7)
  • June 2020 (3)
  • May 2020 (5)
  • April 2020 (3)
  • March 2020 (10)
  • February 2020 (22)
  • January 2020 (10)
  • December 2019 (8)
  • November 2019 (30)
  • October 2019 (30)
  • September 2019 (27)
  • August 2019 (41)
  • July 2019 (33)
  • June 2019 (27)
  • May 2019 (36)
  • April 2019 (25)
  • March 2019 (41)
  • February 2019 (22)
  • January 2019 (11)
  • December 2018 (17)
  • November 2018 (13)
  • October 2018 (34)
  • September 2018 (43)
  • August 2018 (26)
  • July 2018 (34)
  • June 2018 (23)
  • May 2018 (31)
  • April 2018 (24)
  • March 2018 (49)
  • February 2018 (48)
  • January 2018 (25)
  • December 2017 (10)
  • November 2017 (30)
  • October 2017 (10)
  • September 2017 (26)
  • August 2017 (25)
  • July 2017 (42)
  • June 2017 (37)
  • May 2017 (49)
  • April 2017 (54)
  • March 2017 (44)
  • February 2017 (39)
  • January 2017 (14)
  • December 2016 (22)
  • November 2016 (20)
  • October 2016 (20)
  • September 2016 (35)
  • August 2016 (46)
  • July 2016 (51)
  • June 2016 (23)
  • May 2016 (15)
  • April 2016 (18)
  • March 2016 (22)
  • February 2016 (27)
  • January 2016 (11)
  • December 2015 (8)
  • November 2015 (17)
  • October 2015 (21)
  • September 2015 (30)
  • August 2015 (54)
  • July 2015 (49)
  • June 2015 (44)
  • May 2015 (16)
  • April 2015 (6)
  • March 2015 (9)
  • February 2015 (9)
  • January 2015 (2)
  • December 2014 (2)
  • November 2014 (2)
  • October 2014 (1)
  • September 2014 (2)
  • August 2014 (5)
  • July 2014 (1)
  • June 2014 (4)
  • May 2014 (5)
  • April 2014 (1)
  • March 2014 (1)
  • February 2014 (2)
  • January 2014 (2)
  • December 2013 (1)
  • November 2013 (2)
  • October 2013 (1)
  • September 2013 (1)
  • August 2013 (2)
  • July 2013 (3)
  • June 2013 (2)
  • May 2013 (5)
  • April 2013 (3)
  • March 2013 (1)
  • February 2013 (1)
  • May 2012 (2)
  • January 2012 (3)
  • September 2011 (1)
Tweets by BeInTheLoopChi

Tag Cloud

2024 (30) 2025 (13) Al Jourgensen (4) Berwyn (5) C2E2 (6) Chicago (130) Chicago's Own (4) Chicago Theatre (6) City Winery (4) Concert (18) concert photography (26) concert photos (15) concert review (33) Country Music (6) David Lee Roth (4) Douglas Park (4) Festival (9) Grant Park (6) Illinois (6) images (8) Interview (4) In The Loop Magazine (37) james currie (4) john 5 (5) live (63) live nation (4) Lollapalooza (7) lords of acid (4) Metro (6) Ministry (7) Music Festival (6) Park West (4) Photos (7) Ravinia (13) Riot Fest (16) Riviera Theatre (5) rob zombie (6) Salt Shed (11) Sawyer Brown (4) Sold Out (6) solo tour (4) tour (24) Tour 2024 (13) Tour 2025 (8) United Center (8)

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
© 2025 In The Loop Magazine / All Rights Reserved.
  • Music News
  • Media
  • Festivals
  • Promotions
  • Venues
  • About
  • Gallery