Concert review: The Head And The Heart return to their Seattle roots | Arts
For those passing by, the gathering may have looked more like a large country wedding than a group of fans welcoming back one of Seattle’s finest bands.
String lights draped from the overhanging trees, children of all ages twirled across the grass, and wafts of sunscreen drifted over the field. Beer and barbeque were easily accessible, and dads wearing T-shirts with drawings of morels sipped their Hazy IPAs.
On Aug. 12, I joined this modest crowd at Marymoor Park, which had gathered to welcome indie folk band The Head And The Heart back to their Seattle roots. After originally forming in Ballard in 2009, the creators of the hit songs “Rivers and Roads,” “All We Ever Knew,” and “Honeybee” returned to the northwest. This time, it was for their Every Shade of Blue tour, which features their most recent album.
While not well known to all, this band holds an iconic place in the hearts of indie folk fans across the country. With a little more kick than Gregory Alan Isakov, The Head And The Heart maintains a tone similar to Birdtalker and The Oh Hellos. They treat their fans like family, and, as such, when they asked attendees to wear blue tones in honor of their recent album the crowd was happy to oblige. The sea of blue and neutral tones drifted around the stage as the night waned on, creating a truly beautiful and unified picture of goodwill.
As the sun dropped blissfully below the treeline, their first opener, Sera Cahoone, welcomed those who had gathered with a voice like moonshine. After her followed the Americana lo-fi beats of Dawes, as they highlighted songs from their latest album,”Misadventures of Doomscroller,” chronicling their thoughts and experiences that built up during the pandemic.
During the opening performance, the expectant crowd was met with their first glimpse of The Head And The Heart’s iconic couple, Charity Rose Thielen and Matt Gervais. As Dawes held the crowd’s attention, Thielen and Gervais slipped in to join the crowd through a side door near the stage. They walked briskly across the grass to greet a friend, and then returned the way they had come.
The remarkable thing was that no one ran up to them. There was no screaming or mobbing, and it hardly seemed to make an impact on the crowd’s mental state. Everyone was respectful of their space, and simply smiled as they saw the baby that was being carried along by Gervais.
This calm and thoughtful reaction is a fair indicator of the night overall. As I parked my jean shorts on the dying August grass, I took a moment to appreciate the diverse array of people surrounding me. Pre-teens with teal hair could be found picnicking next to college girls in their cottagecore best. Women with feather tattoos and sparkly eyeshadow sat in low-backed chairs, watching their kids race across the plastic dance floor.
Few artists could capture the heart and attention of so diverse a crowd, but The Head And The Heart is a unique creative force.
As they played through the night, The Head And The Heart maintained the family-friendly atmosphere, gracing their fans with stories and music alike. They made sure to play their biggest hits, including several from their newest album, “Every Shade of Blue.”
As their voices carried over the still summer air, a sense of contentment filled the spaces where their music lingered. It felt as though most people were not there to see an impressive lights display or be blown away by a resounding bass. Rather, they came together to know and be known, hear and be heard. And, as the night sank into silence and the crowds dispersed, it felt as though this is exactly what was accomplished.
Reach writer Elise Peyton at [email protected]. Twitter: @e_peyton113
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