ADRIANNE LENKER
ELLEN KEMPNER
LOBERO THEATER, SANTA BARBARA, CA
08 December, 2021
Excitement mounted on the short walk to the venue, with this being the first show attended since seeing Vivian Girls in October of 2019. The occasion was marked with Adrianne Lenker (Big Thief) and Ellen Kempner (Palehound/Bachelor) serving up solo sets at the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara. The old opera house was the perfect venue for both.
Kicking off with pulsating take on “Not A Lot, Just Forever”, Adrianne Lenker set an intense pace, spinning her web. Playing acoustic solo is by definition a leap of faith, but a ferociously partisan crowd provided a welcome safety net. Three songs in, (post- “My Angel”), Lenker requested the house lights up, and with a better view of her tribe, continued on.
The first half of her set was weighted heavily with tracks from 2020’s songs, including “Forwards Beckon Rebound”, a simmering “Ingydar”, “Half Return”, and “Dragon Eyes”. As she worked in Big Thief songs, the set truly became a journey, with “Sparrow”, from the forthcoming Dragon New Mountain I Believe In You, a standout. “U.F.O.F.” and “Cattails” (from 2019’s U.F.O.F.) brought the trip to a close.
Ellen Kempner opened the evening with a set skewed heavily to the most recent release of her Palehound project: 2019’s Black Friday. “Killer” and “Company”set the tone early, before dropping into “Dry Food”, the title track of her 2015 debut, and a stunning (new?) song with the refrain of “Your Boufriend’s Gun”. Overcoming technical issues, she scaled emotional peaks with the trio of “Sneakers”, “Aaron” and “Bullshit”.
It was a blessing to be back at the Lobero; they utilized every resource to survive the last two years, from grants to livestreams. Fully back in action, they were more than up to the logistical challenge, with patio entrances separated with check-in tables, let alone the venue itself. All staff and ushers were vaccinated, reinforcing the family feel. Post-show, the big artistic takeaway was, when reflecting on both artists, what songs weren’t played, and just how amazing are the catalogues they’ve built up in such a short time.
