Silver Linings on the Wild Hearts Tour
Left to right: Julien Baker, Sharon Van Etten, and Angel Olsen performing at the Greek Theatre, LA by María Alvarez
THE SHARED POWER OF SHARON VAN ETTEN, ANGEL OLSEN, AND JULIEN BAKER ON THEIR 2ND SOLD OUT SHOW AT THE GREEK
The Wild Hearts Tour is the collective summer tour of powerhouse musicians Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, and Julien Baker. Each artist has returned to the road with a new project under their belt. Angel Olsen’s sixth studio album, “Big Time,” came out June 3rd, 2022. Angel takes a new direction as she pays tribute to the sounds of country legends like Dolly Parton and Lucinda Williams. Meanwhile, Sharon Van Etten’s pandemic record, “We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong'' came out in May of 2022. Sharon’s home recorded album asks the hard question we’ve all been facing these past two years of how to approach life when it feels like the end of the world. And then Julien Baker released an EP titled “B-Sides'' with three new songs from the recording sessions of her third album, “Little Oblivions.” The EP came out on July 21, the first day of the Wild Hearts tour.
I love each of the artists on this lineup, but was moved to go to the show by the impact Angel Olsen’s most recent album has had on me the past few months. I was able to go to the premiere of Angel’s new short film and visual counterpiece, “Big Time,” at Brain Dead Studios the night before the album’s release. The screening was followed by a Q&A with Angel and the film’s director Kimberly Stuckwisch as well as a solo set by Angel. I’ve been a big fan for years and Angel had been on my bucket list of artists to see live for so long. At the time, only a couple singles were out, so I heard her perform “Ghost On” for the first time live. I was moved to tears by the openness and power in Angel’s voice and words. She holds such a presence and it was such an honor to see her for the first time in such an intimate context.
All that to say, I already had tickets to their Night One show on Thursday when Jacob of MMC* asked me if I’d be going to see Angel Olsen Friday night. With a shared love for live music and overlapping music tastes, Jacob and I have crossed paths at a bunch of LA shows like Clairo, Beach House, and Tame Impala. I thought Jacob was just asking if I’d be attending the show, but he was asking me to shoot it. I was really excited by the opportunity. In theory, I’ve been shooting live music for a long time, but always in a casual, non-professional context simply by bringing my point-and-shoot camera and shooting from the crowd. I still went to their Night One show with my partner which we jokingly called the ‘scout day’ as I got the lay of the land and feel of the artist’s sets and lighting design.
Julien Baker performing at the Greek Theatre, LA by María Alvarez
I got to the venue early on Friday night and tried to ignore the nervous feeling that I was breaking the rules as I walked into the pit for Julien’s set. The crowd was a range of overlapping fan bases. There was a person in the front row with a Boygenius vinyl, the indie trio supergroup formed by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus in 2018. The vinyl sleeve had 2 out of 3 signatures and was just missing Julien’s. Phoebe had drawn devil horns over her head in gold Sharpie while Lucy drew a beard over her face.
Julien came on stage and opened with the title track of her first album, “Sprained Ankle.” With lyrics like “spilling my guts, sweat on a microphone, breaking my voice,” it felt like a manifesto to both Julien as a musician and an individual, but also the whole show in general. This opening song felt like a tender introduction to the soulful openness and vulnerabilities that Julien, Angel, and Sharon channel into their work and that would be on full display tonight.
Tattoos border the length of Julien’s arms and I wonder about all of the stories behind them as I read the words “HARD WORK” across her knuckles. The first half of Julien’s set was a mosaic of individual songs from projects across the years. And the second half ended with songs from her most recent album, “Little Oblivions.” She played over half the songs on this album and I found this to be a throughline with all three artists on the Wild Hearts tour. They’re all coming back to touring with new projects and you can feel how excited they are to finally be playing them live.
Sharon Van Etten performing at the Greek Theatre, LA by María Alvarez
Next up was Sharon. The set started with a haunting extended instrumental intro as dark purple spotlights illuminated the stage. After a minute, the band members made their way onto the stage and the crowd began to scream. Another thirty seconds went by. Sharon slowly walked on with a magnetic gaze and stayed at the back of the stage staring down at the floor below her. The drummer hit their sticks together and the first notes of “Headspace” started in sync with a flood of bright blue lighting up the space. Sharon lifted her head up and purposely walked forward to the microphone as she firmly stared down the audience.
As she sang the lyrics “baby, don’t turn your back on me,” I felt this electric power in Sharon as a performer. Her presence on stage felt wholly her, but also like she was being taken over by the music. It was so magical to witness up close. She wore an open blazer and black leather pants while a small golden lock hung around her neck. There was a small red beaded coin purse that a roadie had placed by her mic. She danced around the stage with such a strong energy as she played forehead to forehead alongside her band members. This woman is whole heartedly a rock star.
Her set slowed down halfway through as she brought in some of her folk guitar roots from earlier projects. I was particularly excited to hear “Every Time the Sun Comes Up” live as this is one of my favorites from Sharon’s discography. Sharon paused to thank her tour partners and say that she feels honored to play alongside the “best songwriters of my generation.” She thanked her partner, her kid, her band, and everyone that showed up. It is a rite of passage to play at the Greek Theatre and you could feel the excitement and gratitude to be joining the list of artists that have headlined a show there.
Sharon Van Etten performing at the Greek Theatre, LA by María Alvarez
She took a moment to tell a story about her move to Los Angeles, late in 2019 right before the pandemic. She remembered a particularly difficult day during early 2020. She walked outside, looked at the bright blue sky, and heard more birds than she ever had before. It reminded her to always look for the silver linings and to find what helps keep you going. She then went into singing “Darkish” with lyrics like “only in the stars you saw, harmony is all you see, and home is what you hold.” The audience was completely silent and so respectful, you could hear a pin drop. I couldn’t help but think about the silver linings of that present moment. The beauty of shooting such an intimate show. The open sky above the Greek as a handful of stars twinkled above. My partner told me after the show that he swore he saw a shooting star. The divine felt possible in that moment.
Sharon ended her set on a high note with “Seventeen.” The sense of joy was palpable across the crowd. It felt like everyone was having their main character, end of the movie moment. You’d glance across the venue and see best friends holding each other screaming every lyric or a group of older women jumping up and down dancing their hearts out. It was such a gift and the most fun I’ve had at a show in a while.
Angel Olsen performing at the Greek Theatre, LA by María Alvarez
Last but not least was Angel Olsen. Her band took the stage all dressed in bright and vibrant colors. They’ve taken on the name, ‘The Big Time Band’ for the tour and include both a violin and cello player. A warm spotlight illuminated Angel as she walked on stage in a sunny yellow jumpsuit. She opened her set with the lyric “I had a dream last night” from the song, “Dream Thing,” on her new album. With an album that is deeply inspired by her dreams, it felt fitting to open her set in this way. Plus this song is my current favorite on the album.
One thing I remember from the “Big Time” Q&A was a question of what we can expect to hear on the Wild Hearts tour. Angel said that she is deeply proud of the “Big Time” album and is really excited to finally return to touring with these new songs. You could feel that she’s entering a new era and eager to see where it takes her.
After playing four songs from “Big Time,” Angel tossed two throwbacks in the mix. She joked that she had written a new song last night and wanted to play it for the crowd. She egged it on pretending to teach the chords to her band members. But then the opening lyrics of “Shut Up Kiss Me” began and the crowd went into hysterics. She told the crowd that she’d play another older one just for kicks and launched into “Sister.”
The Wild Hearts Tour at the Greek Theatre, LA by María Alvarez
I was so struck by how hilarious Angel was in between songs. She’d go from making you cry laughing as she talked midway songs to just straight up crying as she sang. She said that despite this not being the greatest time in the world, she’s experiencing the best tour ever. And that she never even wants to leave backstage because everyone’s hanging out and she loves her tour mates so much. The second half of her set had three more songs from her latest album but ended with “Chance,” the closing track of her 2019 album “All Mirrors.” The lyrics, “if we got to know each other, how rare is that?” echoed across the crowd. One of the most beautiful songs and the most perfect way to end her set.
Angel and Sharon joined each other on stage for an encore performance of “Like I Used To.” There was a sense of celebration watching these two formidable figures rock out together for their sold out show at the Greek. They ended the show with a cover of Harry Nilsson’s “Without You,” which somehow held the intimacy of a late night karaoke session between two greats and a crowd of over 5,000 people. Safe to say, I was walking home on a cloud. Thank you Angel, Sharon, and Julien for creating a space for fans to heal, cry, and dance along to the intimate and profound truths of what it means to be alive today. Check out the set list here!
