Distortion Meets the Downbeat: St. Vincent Plugs Into the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia Festival
By Christopher David
In one of the hottest and most unique shows of the Chicago summer, avant-garde rocker St. Vincent (the stage name for singer/songwriter Annie Clark) delivered a mesmerizing performance at Ravinia on Saturday, but this time, she showed up with more than just her band —she brought the acclaimed Chicago Symphony Orchestra for a one-off performance that showed off the stunning depth of her songwriting.
Taking the stage the intro fanfare of “We Put a Pearl in the Ground,” it was remarkable from the very start how the contemplative narrative themes of Clark’s songs had taken on a new kind of life with the backing of a such instrumentation; strings brought emotional gravity to the angular, snaking melody line of “Marrow” and the soaring chorus of “Live in a Dream,” with “The Nowhere Inn” serving as a major highlight as well. Clark’s pop-oriented melodies and unique guitar style worked beautifully with the layered string arrangements, and at times, even as a fan, it was almost easy to forget that you’d heard the songs before—until the pulsing beat of Digital Witness found its way through the woodwind section and Clark began animatedly stalking the stage after attacking her guitar for a few songs. The pleading chorus of “Los Ageless” took on a new kind of sad delicacy with nothing but strings behind it, and it was “New York” at the end of a flawless structured setlist that tore the roof off with it’s bright, hopeful chorus that saw Clark jump off the stage and make her way through a startled and jubilant crowd, hugging, slapping hands, and quipping her way from one end of the place to the other.
“Working with this incredible group of musicians has been one of the highlights of my musical —and personal—life,” Clark noted upon introducing the conductor and her own band. That was obvious from the get-go. There were moments where even she seemed breathless at the scope of the new arrangements, proving that, for everyone involved, it was ninety unforgettable minutes that went by far too fast.
Setlist:
We Put a Pearl in the Ground
Hell is Near
Reckless
Violent Times
Black Rainbow
Marrow
The Bed
Smoking Section
Now, Now
Live in the Dream
The Nowhere Inn
Digital Witness
Los Ageless
New York (with a snippet of Chicago by Sufjan Stevens)
Paris is Burning
Slow Disco