We Went There: Courtney Barnett at the Palace Theatre
Artist: Courtney Barnett, Truman Sinclair, We Went There
There’s a duality to Courtney Barnett. On one side, there’s the guitar hero – hunched over at the front of the stage coaxing guitar solos out of her left-handed Fender Jaguar. On the other, there’s the stream-of-consciousness wordsmith making phrases like “never made a latte greater” something to cheer about.
The crowd at the Palace Theatre covered almost all age groups. There was a noticeably older contingent who mostly stuck to the balcony seating. On the floor, parents and their X handed teens occupied pockets in the front. By the time 9:30 came around, the floor had filled up to almost capacity.
Opener Truman Sinclair led a loose three-piece onto the stage, entering shaggy-haired and barefoot, harmonica strapped to his chest and acoustic guitar in hand. The Chicago-born, LA-based singer-songwriter – who came up through emo and metal before pivoting to heartland-inflected folk – arrived sounding completely natural in a room this size. There’s a little Tom Petty in the DNA, a vocal break here and there that lands closer to Conor Oberst, and a rootsy confidence that reads as earned rather than performed. After the obligatory Prince shoutout he teased a Replacements story early… and then never told it. The set closed with a self proclaimed dancing song called “Bangin’ Boots,” and the heads in the front took his instructions. His set was a tight 30 minutes on the dot and walked off stage after a confident showing to a large room.
After a 30 minute changeover, Barnett came out into red lights and fog, flanked by three Fender tweeds across the back of the stage. Longtime bassist Bones Sloane and Warpaint drummer Stella Mozgawa locked in immediately, and the trio sounded mighty from the first note of “Stay In Your Lane.” “Avant Gardner” arrived third and landed with the warm recognition that catalog staples earn after a decade. Barnett barely spoke for the first half – a quick thank you here and there. At the fifth song of the evening “Mantis,” an album cover banner dropped at the back of the stage.
With the new album material, there’s a deliberate slow burn quality to a lot of the songs. There’s a War on Drugs quality to some of what Barnett is doing in this era – grooves getting hypnotic, guitar work sprawling in ways that reward patience. A couple in front slow-danced through “Anonymous Club,” full twirl included. “Elevator Operator” landed well at close to an hour in, “Sugar Plum” had the couple nearby bumping hips unselfconsciously, and “Write a List of Things to Look Forward To” set up a main set closer in “One Thing at a Time” where both versions of Barnett connected fully.
The encore opened with Barnett alone, electric, pacing the stage with no talking. Just strums answered by cheers and “we love you”s from the floor. “Mostly Patient” done solo and quiet. Then the band returned, lights went red, fog came back, and “Pedestrian at Best” hit harder than a lot of songs. The left-handed Jaguar was front and center. The band played like a looser, wordier Nirvana. “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party” closed it out with brighter lights and a full crowd singalong — a hundred minutes that felt complete.
The Palace is a big room but both sides of Courtney Barnett owned it all.
Full Photo Set
Setlist: Stay In Your Lane / City Looks Pretty / Avant Gardner / Small Poppies / Mantis / Same / Turning Green / Site Unseen / Anonymous Club / Depreston / Great Advice / Elevator Operator / Sugar Plum / Wonder / Before You Gotta Go / Write a List of Things to Look Forward To / One Thing at a Time – Encore: Mostly Patient / Pedestrian at Best / Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party
