REVIEW: Pinegrove @ the Sinclair 11/24

By Damon Musso

Last Saturday, Pinegrove came back to Boston after their near year-long hiatus due to sexual assault allegations against the band’s frontman Evan Hall. In the middle of the set, Hall said, “It’s been a year full of introspection and growth.” It felt relieving to hear the band speak directly to the crowd about their hiatus. With this tour, Pinegrove seems ready to move past the incident without denying or negating. The line between separating the artist from the art is often narrow and deceptive: Pinegrove has shown a willingness to move forward with their music, and their audience seems ready to forgive and to continue listening to their music that has resonated deeply with so many.

Structure became the defining aspect of the concert. Pinegrove came on without an opener. To a crowd that waited over a year to see them play, this gesture seemed more of an act of respite than anything. It also gave a quality of vulnerability to the show. The band first played all of the songs from their most recent album, Skylight, and then continued by playing every song of their defining EP, Cardinal. As an encore, the band played four songs from their first full-length album Everything So Far. Between songs, Hall took as many opportunities as possible to just simply say “thank you.”

The set decision is a brilliant choice. To any music fan, seeing your favorite band play their two most recognized albums back to back seems like a far-fetched fantasy. Most knew every line to every word of each song and, at times, practically drowned out Hall’s own voice. It also functioned as a way to shake the dust off their instruments and to do a complete run-through of their albums. By sticking right to the structure of these records, both the band and the audience were given the chance to come back to their music through familiarity. Hall changed guitars almost every break between songs. In doing so, he gave slight tonal variations to each song without changing the entire arrangement.

Pinegrove gave their concert a sense of honesty and warmth. Partially, it seemed like their set functioned as a way to get back to form, to get to touring and to playing their songs that resonate with so many. It also gave them a chance to truly connect with their fanbase—to say thank you, and to play their most well-known songs, in the order that we’ve all listened to them at home while they were gone. It’s good to have them back.