BIG THIEF SHOWCASE WHY THEY’RE ONE OF THE BEST LIVE BANDS EVER

Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief at Garden Amp by Jacob Alvarez and edited by Paige Strickland

THE HIGHLY PRAISED INDIE-FOLK BAND PLAYED THEIR FIRST SHOW SINCE THE PANDEMIC TO A SOLD OUT CROWD IN ORANGE COUNTY

I’ve been trying to cover Big Thief ever since I started MMC*. There are few bands that get an emotional reaction out of me, and they’re one of them not only because of Adrianne Lenker’s gorgeous voice, but the band’s serious drive and passion that you can see and hear in their music.

This was my first time seeing the band, as it never has worked out in the past due to unforeseen circumstances or something so I was very excited. Never been to the Garden Amp and don’t spend too much time in the OC area, but I had heard the venue was pretty small and intimate which made for the appropriate setting for a band like Big Thief. The crowd was anything but… The venue was noticeably unorganized with no press booth and anyone can just walk in with a camera or weapon for that matter. I’m not so much a fan of the half pit, half seated venue type unless it’s a big place like the Bowl or Greek, but for this, the seats could barely see over the pit, and most of the people in the pit were drunk as shit. One guy in particular who was to my immediate left was definitely buzzed and shouted at the band every chance he got, yelling about how much he loved them and making comments only a true fan would know like who produced what album and what guitar model Buck Meek had just upgraded to. The band was uncomfortable to say the least, and it threw me off a bit, because genuine music and drunk people just don’t go hand in hand for me. I also understand that this was the venue’s second show since the pandemic hosting an event and for much of the audience, it was their first live show back, but that’s no excuse to be unorganized and disrespectful to the band performing respectively.

As for the performance itself, you can only expect the best from a band of their capacity and boy did they deliver. It was the band’s first show since the pandemic, and it was announced on short notice, yet it sold out without a hitch. Lenker showed her sensitive side, thanking everyone for being there while also shredding so hard. One minute she was singing gracefully, the next she was ripping and skipping across the stage. She would join the rest of her bandmates in a group circle, just jamming towards the end of most of their songs. They played favorites “Masterpiece” and “Shark Smile” towards the beginning which excited me for newer classics like “Not” and “Sparrow” which came later. I was a little disappointed that “Haley” and my newest obsession “Little Things” weren’t played but I always respect a band that just plays what they want to play and doesn’t feel the need to play what the audience “wants” necessarily. You could see the emotion on all the band’s faces. I love that they’re just doing what the want to do. Being who they want to be, from shredding to spitting on the mic because that’s just the meaningfulness oozing out.

During their set, they debuted a few new tracks: “Blue Lightning” and “Red Moon” while Lenker played a track she had written a few days prior called “Once a Bunch.” Although only a few days old, the song was sung by all of the audience after Lenker repeated the chorus a couple of times which was crazy to witness. The band came out for an encore after 18 songs to play “Mary.” Lenker absorbed the love that radiated from the audience to the point where she laid on the stage to just realize this moment was reality. Then it was over. It’s very difficult to juggle meaningful lyrics with guitar shredding and emotion, but Big Thief does it with ease. Many of their songs were played on repeat during the process of losing my mom so I couldn’t help but get teary-eyed and sort of spaced out during their set. This band means a lot to me and I’m eternally grateful to have experienced their first live show back since the world closed down. “You showed me how, to keep myself from burning out.” Thank you Big Thief. Check out the set list here!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!