Review: Lucy Dacus @ MGM Music Halll 4/20

Photo credits: Talia Lissauer

Review by: Sadie Shelkey

Lucy Dacus has had a lot to write about these past few years. From a Grammy win and sold-out tour with Boygenius to her blossoming relationship with bandmate Julien Baker, it comes as no surprise that her new album is based around her recent experiences. “Forever is a Feeling,” released in March, paints an introspective, intimate portrait of her journey through letting her inhibitions go in hopes of finding her “forever.” Last Sunday, Dacus shared this feeling with all 5000 faces in Fenway MGM Music Hall, taking the audience right along with her as she effortlessly navigated the setlist’s tonal and musical shifts.

The show opened with a standout performance from Manchester-based artist jasmine.4t. Jasmine and bandmate Phoenix’s voices blended incredibly as they stood alone at the center of the stage, harmonizing over stripped-back guitar and violin melodies. Jasmine’s raw, meaningful lyrics shined in every song, and were made even more powerful by her offhanded mention of the recent UK Supreme Court ruling defining gender as assigned at birth. With hate having a forum in both their home country and our own, Jasmine’s lyrics’ focus on the gentleness of trans love and joy was especially poignant.

Jasmine’s set was followed by Katie Gavin, performing songs from her debut solo album “What a Relief,” released last fall. As someone familiar with MUNA’s indie-pop-rock sound, Gavin’s music took me by surprise. Her performances channeled a folky Fiona Apple energy, and each song was elevated by her bandmates’ phenomenal guitar and bass. While Gavin’s whole set was amazing, “Casual Drug Use,” “Sanitized,” and “Keep Walking” were standouts and crowd favorites.

When Lucy and her bandmates took the stage in business attire, it seemed at first like a continuation of the Boygenius era. But with two huge Greco-Roman pillars lining the stage and white tarp cloaking the back wall, the outfits took on new meaning, aligned with the ‘classy art gallery’ aesthetics of “Forever is A Feeling.” This was solidified during her first song, “Hot and Heavy,” when the tarp dramatically fell to reveal a rich red curtain covered with large gold frames.

Over the course of the show, these frames would become illuminated with visuals from medieval portraits to amazing landscapes to a blued-out Home Video screen. While Lucy’s shows’ scenic design never fails to amaze, this show’s use of lighting and visuals were especially phenomenal — complimenting the vibes of “Forever is a Feeling” while bridging with the aesthetics of her earlier work. 

Dacus’ performance echoed the visuals, effortlessly blending across genre and era. Even with booming, grunge-y songs like “Talk,” melancholy ballads like “Limerance,” and upbeat melodies like “Best Guess” all on the setlist, Dacus and her band perfectly mirrored the energy of each other and the crowd, seamlessly and gracefully moving through the tonal changes.

While these frequent vibe shifts were often unnoticeable, one in particular made for the show’s best moment. After devastating the audience with an acoustic rendition of “Please Stay” — Dacus’ first time playing the song this tour — jasmine.4t emerged from the curtains dressed as Hozier… including a comically fake wig and beard. The still-teary-eyed audience couldn’t help but erupt into laughter as Jasmine and Lucy sat down on blue velvet thrones to perform “Bullseye” — Lucy’s recent collaboration with Hozier.

Luckily, the concert continued without any more emotional whiplash, culminating in the title track “Forever is a Feeling” and an earth-shattering encore performance of Boygenius favorite “True Blue” and the ever heart-wrenching “Night Shift.”

When “Forever is a Feeling” was released, I feared it would be one of those albums that works better when listening at home and hanging onto every word. But coming from someone who has seen Dacus live before (both solo and as ⅓ of Boygenius), Sunday’s performance at MGM Music Hall was her best yet. Her songwriting, musicality, and production all shined — and you’d be hard pressed to find a single audience member too cynical to consider that maybe forever is a feeling, after all.