Photos and review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
LOS ANGELES – The Head And The Heart walked onto the Greek Theatre stage with a warmth that embraced their fan base. Guitarist Matt Gervais immediately strolled over to the stage edge to fist bump with fans. The band was passing through Los Angeles in support of their sixth studio album, “Aperture.”
The band’s DIY ethos resonated with a cross generational audience where many a parent could be seen with their children; be it a young child who was running circles prior to the set (did he make it through the night without falling asleep on his father’s lap?) or the teenage daughter pushing the mom to walk faster.
It even resonated with the guy who spent his time watching the Dallas vs Green Bay football game during the opening acts – it did end up in a classic 40-40 tie so who could blame him. Surely, the band wouldn’t have blamed him, as they mentioned that they (the band being from Seattle) had just gotten swept by the Dodgers. It would go the other way once the World Series came around they insisted. The Los Angeles crowd took the dig in stride.
The Head And The Heart started off their folk-inspired set with “Living Mirage” under the red lights. Their song “City of Angels” was dedicated to LA. Then the band went to the well-received “All We Ever Knew” that had the crowd singing to the lyrics “There she goes, only in dreams. She’s only in dreams.” “Ghosts” had a spooky New Orleans sound that got the crowd waving their arms as Gervais headed over to drummer Tyler Williams to perform a tap dance.
Lead singer Jonathan Russell introduced the song “Cop Car” with a little background mentioning that he grew up “Basically drinking 40s in Taco Bell parking lots. Not recommending it, but that’s what I was doing for years. Every other weekend it was just trying not to get arrested.” The maracas gave “Let’s Be Still” a distinct Bob Dylan tender touch that had the crowd waving their phone flashlights. “Missed Connections” was a real rocker. The band handed the microphone over to keyboardist Kenny Hensley for “West Coast.”
Prompted by violinist Charity Rose Thielen, Hensley reminisced about growing up in Los Angeles and going to various music venues to catch bands. And sometimes he even caught bands at the Greek Theatre for free, “I used to come up here when tickets were sold out or too expensive and hide in the hills with my friends and listen to shows. So if anybody’s out there, I hope it sounds good . . . I heard Radiohead in 2006 back in the woods.”
After ending their set with the title track to the “Aperture” album, The Head And The Heart took a brief break as the crowd chanted for some encores. They returned with a trio of encores and the much beloved “Rivers and Roads.” The night ended with a singalong to the song that had many out in the audience in group hugs, swaying to melodic ending.
Opening up the night was Los Angeles’ own DIY singer Tyler Ballgame. If one walked around the Greek Theatre in those early moments, you might have caught sight of a handful of Los Angeles musicians out to support his Greek Theatre performance. His opera folk vocals got loud cheers for his song “Goodbye” where he let the final few musical bars drift into silence for a beat or two before giving it a just conclusion. He did give the comment of the night, “Is that a Space X? That’s pretty cool.”
John Vincent III started off his set with “City Rain” that was poignant in its simplicity. His song “Walking Through the Water” is a new song that he’s introduced during the tour. It took him a while to tune his guitar for the song, which led to the comment prior to his next song, “I’ve got to tune this f*cker up.” As soon as he announced that he was playing the Americana inspired “Next to You,” the crowd roared in response. As if in appreciation for the crowd’s love, he ended the song by blowing a kiss.
The Head And The Heart setlist: Living Mirage. City of Angels. All We Ever Knew. Fire Escape. Ghosts. Jubilee. Rhythm & Blues. Another Story. Cop Car. Let’s Be Still. When I Fall Asleep. Winter Song. Lost in My Mind. Missed Connection. Honeybee. After the Setting Sun. Cats and Dogs / Coeur ‘Alene. West Coast. Shake. Down in the Valley. Aperture. Encores: Finally Free. Arrow. Rivers and Roads.
John Vincent III setlist: City Rain. Lover of Mine. Bluebird Singing. Dandelion. Mountain Sounds. Walking Through the Water. Never, No Not Once. Next to You. That’s Just The Way It Is, Babe.
Tyler Ballgame setlist: First Time. Sing How. Help Me Out. I Believe In Love. Got a New Car. Matter of Taste. Goodbye.
