Julien Baker stepped onstage with a quiet confidence. She was barely audible when she spoke into the microphone, but when she sang on Thursday, her voice was intense and full of strength. Her calm demeanor draws the audience in and makes them focus. Her set at The Blue Note was raw, emotional and honest.
Many of Baker’s songs are heavy, and she knows it. Baker’s Instagram bio says, “Sad songs make me feel better,” which helps you understand how she manages to keep it together onstage while she bares her soul to hundreds of strangers. As a queer Christian woman from the South, she has an outlook on life that most people aren’t exposed to every day. Her concerts are different than most — there is little dancing or singing along in the audience, just standing in awe and appreciation. Her shows require focus and quiet, and this calm environment makes her shows special.
Baker’s show in Columbia kicked off her spring tour. She began with one of her most popular songs, “Turn Out the Lights.” The audience was silent as she started playing. Baker’s set consists only of her, two guitars, a keyboard, a few pedals and a violinist who makes an appearance in a few songs. It’s plain, but the music speaks for itself. When Baker got to the chorus, she belted the lyrics with a surprising amount of force. Her voice adds to the emotional nature of her songs and makes them feel even more personal.
Baker also played “Distant Solar Systems,” an older song she described as “a B-side to a B-side” that she had to remember how to play in the dressing room just hours before stepping onstage. Though she hadn’t performed the song in a while, she didn’t miss a beat. Every emotion came through as she reflected on the triviality of life and conflicts on earth.
One of the most emotional moments of the concert was when Baker played “Rejoice.” The song deals with Baker’s loss of friends and her confusion regarding her relationship with God. Near the end of the song, Baker questions God’s motives and questions her own place and lets the listener in to some of her deepest thoughts. Another moment that echoed this sentiment was when Baker played “Hurt Less.” The song is about loneliness, apathy and the comfort of friends and was one that seemed to resonate deeply with the audience.
“Sour Breath” from Baker’s more recent album was stunning. At the end of the song, Baker repeated, “The harder I swim, the faster I sink” as the music built. Finally, she sang it one more time without any instruments. Her solo voice rang out in the silence for an incredible moment of pause.
Julien Baker’s show was a change of pace for The Blue Note but very much welcomed. And while Baker’s songs are overwhelmingly melancholy, the crowd cheered enthusiastically after every song.Her cathartic music leads to a feeling of vulnerability and trust that makes audience members connect with her. Though the tone was somber during the show, people left the concert comforted and so excited to have seen her that they didn’t want to see her go.
_Edited by Brooke Collier | bcollier@themaneater.com_