Julien Baker w Dehd at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2021-11-15)

When she sings, it’s like an open book—

Some chapters are loud, some quiet, but all are honest, confessional, and onion-peeling revealing and that’s how her fans like her best.

Memphis-based singer/songwriter/instrumentalist (and literature lover) Julien Baker stopped at The Granada Theater in Lawrence, KS for one of her last Little Oblivions Tour dates of the year, to play to a rapt and attentive sold-out audience. 

The evening began with a crowd-impressing fifteen song/forty-three minute set from Chicago trio Dehd (pronounced “dead”) who blend surf rock, dream pop, and shoegaze into a palette that is both retro and modern. Emily Kempf- vocals/guitar, Jason Balla- guitar/vocals and Eric McGrady- stand-up percussion make up in the band, who are out in support of last year’s third studio album, Flower of Devotion (on Fire Talk Records). 

Singer Kempf laughingly remarked between songs that her in-ear monitors resembled earpieces worn by the FBI, guitarist Balla never stood still, often lithely slithering about his corner of the stage while waving his bright green guitar, while drummer McGrady stood in the middle of things, mostly nonplussed but able to anchor all songs with a seemingly simple post-punk rhythm. The band was generally well-received by a crowd that were mostly unaware of them prior, and their merch booth was crowded between sets, which is always a good sign. 

Julien Baker’s “little oblivions” are doing very big things for her.  In addition to her third studio album Little Oblivions (on Matador Records) topping the Billboard Folk Chart (and going Top 5 on the Rock and Alternative charts), it’s also spawned a September digital-only remix album, and has her performing in her largest solo venues to date. 

Baker has also gained recent attention as part of indie supergroup boygenius (with Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus) and though always armed with a Southern charm and politeness towards the crowd, has become more confident since we first saw her in 2017 and even more comfortable with her songs and stage presence than in her opening slot in 2018.  The catharsis of coming out the other side from a difficult time that inspired most songs on her new record, has also contributed to the urgent authenticity that defines her recent live performances. 

The ninety-minute set began with the crack of a snare to introduce second single from the new album, “Hardline” with the song building in its intensity and Baker wondering aloud, “What if it’s all black, all the time?” ”Bloodshot” followed, a stark treatise on love before the jangling guitar of 2017’s “Shadowboxing” helped lighten the mood a bit.

The stage setting had an initial dry ice haze about it, and Baker and her crack four-piece band were surrounded by a half circle of vertical lights that framed the group well, despite often keeping lights low.  The setlist was a varied mix of more musically sparse earlier songs, alongside new, bigger band-formed tracks like the reverb-friendly “Ringside” and more electronic “Repeat”.

Devoted fans seemed to enjoy Baker’s solo mini-set best, done just over halfway in, that found her mostly moving to piano for 2017’s “Televangelist” and “Song in E” from the new album.  Throughout the set, Baker was extremely gracious to the crowd, encouraging singing along (which most did), expressing how grateful she was to be playing to live audiences again, and encouraging individuality and equality. 

Lead single from the new record “Faith Healer” confronts a snake oil salesperson but also challenges them, with Baker emoting “I’ll believe you if you make me feel something.” After 2017’s “Sour Breath” and its maddening but completely relatable lyric, “the harder I swim, the faster I sink”, Baker announced “Appointments” as “their fake last song”, assuring the loyal that they would be back, following it shortly. 

The two-song encore began solo by going back to her first record, for 2015’s “Everybody Does”, Baker’s voice building as the song progressed, assuring that while “you’re gonna run” that “it’s all right, everybody does”. The evening would finish as the newest album does, with its final track, “Zipline”, a song that starts deceptively slow and lyrically touches on religion and self-doubt as an electronic pulse ebbs in the background, but accelerates towards its end, and found Baker thrashing about the stage as drum beats grew louder and echoing feedback finished things with a flourish. 

The book is still being written for Julien Baker– she, deciding to hold nothing back lyrically and musically as a result, has attained an ever-growing and very passionate audience for her songs.  Her struggles and difficulties have become the voice for others in similar situations that can relate to her songs, and know they’re not alone.  That makes it a “book” worth looking into and following.

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