First Aid Kit Wraps Tour With Van William At The Beacon Theatre – Review, Photos, Video & Setlist

Words by: Jeffrey Greenblatt

Images by: Jeremy Gordon

First Aid Kit & Van William :: 02.13.18
The Beacon Theatre :: New York City, NY

Tuesday night on New York City’s Upper West Side was a big one for First Aid Kit. The folk-rock act was concluding the North American leg of their world tour with a sold-out show at the nearly 3,000-seat Beacon Theatre – their biggest headlining show to date in the United States.

The night opened with a half hour set from Van William. Adorned by road cases baring his name, the former frontman for Port O’Brien and WATERS, showcased songs from his recently released solo debut Countries. Backed by a two-piece band, William mused that he thought he was going to put his album out on Kickstarter and, “now we’re at the fucking Beacon Theatre.” Enthusiastically bouncing around the stage, William put his brand of shimmery, West Coast folk-pop on display conjuring up comparisons to likes of The Head And The Heart and Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s with tunes like “Before I Found You,” “The Country” and “Cosmic Sign.”

Shortly after 9 p.m., First Aid Kit took the stage with a huge projection screen behind them. Backed by a three-piece band, the Swedish sister act kicked-off their headlining set with “Rebel Heart” and “It’s A Shame,” the opening cuts from their recently released fourth studio album Ruins while pulsing animated images of hearts and a desert highway filled with vintage roadside iconography flashed behind them. After joking about how ugly the ornate theater was, the pair reached back to their 2012 breakout release The Lion’s Roar for the exuberant deep cut “King Of The World.”

“Postcard” was presented as their most country sounding song yet, as the duo crooned over the lilting sound of the pedal steel guitar and barroom piano. The sibling’s harmonies shined throughout the night as they deftly displayed their love of what Gram Parsons once described as “Cosmic American Music” – an amalgam of folk and country with a psychedelic tinge. This was only confirmed as swirling kaleidoscopic images that would have been right at home at the Fillmore East were displayed behind them throughout.

A powerful moment came midway through their set with “You Are The Problem.” The socio-political single about sexual assault, which Klara Soderberg and Johanna Soderberg released last summer, offers a formidable anthem for the #MeToo movement as many of the women in the crowd got to their feet in approval.

Later in the set, the Soderbergs nodded to another sister act by delivering a spot-on rendition of Heart’s “Crazy On You,” which gave them an opportunity to let loose on the aggressive, acid-drenched rocker. “Emmylou,” First Aid Kit’s romantic ode to finding that special someone was arguably the most-anticipated song of the night. The song references famous musical duet partners Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash and Gram Parsons and the titular Emmylou Harris and turned into a beautiful group-sing led by the sisters as they encouraged everyone to belt out the chorus.

The night was capped with an extended four-song encore that featured two stand-out moments. The first was when Klara and Johanna took to the stage by themselves with just an acoustic guitar around a single mic. They then began to play “Hem Of Her Dress” as the rest of the band trickled on stage for the poignant, yet cathartic heartbreak song. The second came next, as Van William was invited out to front the ensemble on “Revolution,” a song from his album that features First Aid Kit.

Photos by Jeremy Gordon

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”719″ gal_title=”20180213 First Aid Kit Gordon”]

Videos

[Crazy On You | Captured by IronChefWong]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2PypoG9PoY

[Hem Of Her Dress | Captured by IronChefWong]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDFa6zrNsbk