by Talia Page
The first time I met Sharon Van Etten several years ago, there was a collective gasp as she entered the back patio of her Aunt and Uncle’s house in New Jersey on Easter Sunday. Having accompanied her cousin, my law school roommate, to Van Etten family Easter brunch, I was informed that Sharon had been off traveling for a while and had not been expected to attend. She was a musician, I was told, and somewhat disconnected from the extended family.
As it happens, last night's sold out show last night at Bowery Ballroom proved to be quite the family affair, with no less than thirty of her family and close friends in attendance. Following an opening set by Austin band Shearwater, Sharon took the stage dressed in a frilly pink dress and heels, a departure from her usual understated attire. Perhaps the birthday girl, who turned 31 at midnight, was feeling festive, especially after the packed house collectively serenaded her with “Happy Birthday”. Sharon’s confidence and poise onstage were evident, clearly boosted by the overwhelmingly positive reception to her new album, Tramp.
The lyrics in Sharon's songs largely expose her personal emotions, more often than not candidly reflecting on past loves and strained family relationships. In previous shows, Sharon has seemed shy, forcing awkward banter with the crowd between songs, but last night she laughed and joked with the audience, speaking comfortably and directly from behind her guitar to the familiar faces before her as if she were playing her living room to people she has known all her life.
The set included songs from Tramp as well as her previous album, 2010’s Epic. The high point of the evening, not surprisingly, was when she and her band played “Serpents”, the crowd-pleasing first single off Tramp, featuring vocal harmonies by Heather Woods Broderick, drums by Zeke Hutchins and bowed, Jimmy Page bass by Doug Keith.
Sharon Van Etten’s tour heads to Europe next week with stops in London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Berlin before she returns stateside to play SXSW. She plays another sold out show tonight at Bowery; get tickets if you can.