Live at Higher Ground
March 6,2015 • Burlington,VT
By John Mikeska
On stage Annie Clark takes on the persona of St. Vincent. A musical, cultural, and visionary tour de force that is, in her own words, “mystical and insane”. The Ballroom at Higher Ground played host to the auspicious occasion which traversed a landscape of inspiring narrative, mellifluous melody, deep evocative poetry, and instrumental segments capable of building castles in the sky and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. This alleged paradox is where St. Vincent thrives. The character is reminiscent of Bowie, and Prince; transcending sexuality in any kind of traditional sense, while maintaining and originality that remains intensely provocative.
In every sense of the word, and perhaps a few that aren’t, St. Vincent is an artist. A true artist, that gratefully and responsibly engages the patronage of her adoring populace. The crowd at the show was infectious and welcoming, indirectly. Everyone was too focused on the stage to make any direct “welcoming gestures”, but this level of focus yielded the understanding that acceptance-into-the tribe is preceded by enjoying and appreciating the show. In a sense, this aspect of the evening reads like an idealized version of what a rock show could be.
In her performance, St Vincent’s fierce individualism and relentless expression, punctuated by rhetorical ramblings serves to unite artist-and-enthusiast in a way that is intensely personal. Without directly relating to her experience or identity, being able to identify with her passionate pursuit of self-actualization is something we can all relate to. Keeping in time with the aforementioned theme of paradox, her pathos asserts that by losing oneself – a truer identity can be realized. By constantly committing to change, you’re free from the stagnant worry of who you may-or-may-not be. The roadmap for the evening involved a mixture of material (predominantly recent selections) in the form of “Digital Witness” and “Birth in Reverse”.Musically, the evening changed musical costumes, vocal ranges (with an obvious preference for searing, high registers) and instrumental passages that were chaotic, beautiful, strange, inspiring, thought provoking, mind numbing, and hopelessly paradoxical.
There is quite possibly no other way to describe this amazing force of energy without ironic devices. The intense confidence with which she expresses herself is an essential, vitally important piece to her puzzle. This confident presentation eschews attractive reflexes from every member of her audience. Myself included. At the culmination of her 90-minute set, I would have followed her over the hills and through the woods like the Pied Piper of Hamlin. Every human in attendance standing in awe; gratefully and willingly adoring the experience she had just facilitated. A memorable track of recent release was “Huey Newton” which featured deep bass-heavy samples, ethereal vocals, luscious melodic soundscapes and a raucous zenith that peaked in mayhem before cutting out to complete silence and leaving the audience shocked and awed.