Lucy Dacus at Observatory North Park
16 Months ago, Lucy Dacus began her Home Video tour…
…last Saturday night in San Diego, 165 shows later, she finished it.
Despite frigid temperatures for Southern California (63 °F), a line wrapped around Observatory North Park hours before doors opened for the finale of Dacus’ Home Video tour. To begin the night, the sold-out crowd was warmed up by a solo set from Haley Heynderickx. Though she performed alone, the enthusiasm of the crowd turned a few of her normally soft-spoken songs into unexpectedly loud sing-alongs. This energy and ever-present adoration only increased throughout the night.
A few moments later, Lucy Dacus graced the stage. With a nod to the tour’s namesake, she invited concert-goers into her living room: a projector flickered behind her, a mug of tea sat at her feet, and the promise of sweet indie rock allowed for familiar comfort. Dacus’ lyrics serve to do the same, as her vulnerable storytelling makes room for an inclusive audience of those sharing similar experiences and eager to join in on the chorus. “Triple Dog Dare” and “First Time” started off the set. To stave off the melancholy, the front row cheered along at a volume so loud that a break to regroup was needed. Before beginning into the rest of her set Dacus stepped back to say, “I’m just wondering if I’m going to get through this show […] I’m feeling very sentimental.”
Dacus’ band (comprised of Sarah Goldstone on Keys, Jacob Blizard on guitar, Ricardo Lagomasino on drums, and Dominic Angelella on bass) gave new life to some of the more somber songs on her records. Lucy was cool as she commanded (and swayed across) the stage. She leaned into her bandmates and they, into her. She engaged the audience between songs–connecting their experiences with hers in asking, “who here went to VBS?” before, “VBS” and, “who’s gay?'” before starting into, “Kissing Lessons.” In both instances, the majority of the audience cheered and then sang in unison to her hyperspecific lyrics which give way to universal feelings. The rest of Home Video (her most recent release) was played in its entirety and favorites from albums past riled up the devoted audience even more–“I Don’t Wanna be Funny Anymore” and “Night Shift” being notable highlights.
It was sweet to see the band relishing in the last night of their tour together, and the sentiment was made plain with Dacus’ repetitions of, “I don’t know when we’ll do that again” to follow songs and signature dance moves. The entire touring crew came out to take part in “Going Going Gone,” which ended with hugs all around. Finally, Dacus’ command over the attention of the room reached its climax when she delivered two unreleased songs with the promise of their imminent recording.
While bittersweet, the show was one of celebration, a joyous endcap to a tour that lasted through the trials of COVID-19 and even a stint of shows where Lucy performed lying down on a couch.
She might not know when she’ll be doing this again, but all we can hope for is that it’s sometime soon.
** A note from Dacus following the tour’s conclusion, “With your help, we raised $35,540.98 for 17 different Indigenous organizations over the course of the past two tours. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to spend time on the traditional land of so many Indigenous people. I want to thank the folks who welcomed us to these territories at our shows.”
For more information, visit https://www.indigenousjustice.org