Shawn Colvin is a favorite contemporary folk artist to many (including my mother) because of her down-to-earth vibrancy and transparency. Appreciation for Colvin was on full display when the artist performed at the Lobero Theatre on Sunday, August 9. I had the pleasure of attending that nostalgic night of storytelling and reflection through song with my mother, who has filled our home with Colvin’s music since I was a little girl.
The evening was entirely acoustic, with just Colvin onstage. The small venue gave the night an even more intimate and homey feel. The show started with a Rowland Salley cover of “Killing the Blues,” a warm and calm invitation into the space. She selected songs from many of her albums, including Steady On, A Few Small Repairs, These Four Walls, and more.
Audience favorites followed one after another, such as “Polaroids” from her album Fat City, and “Steady On” from her debut album, To Cry Like an Angel. She also performed “Sunny Came Home,” her Grammy-winning song of the year in 1998. What made these performances so special, however, was that between each song, Colvin gave the audience a glimpse into her life and inspirations for songwriting.
Not only is Colvin a candid vocalist, but she’s also a true storyteller. She described growing up in South Dakota and moving to New York, life on the road, and the breakups, friendships, and artistic passions that led her to where she is now. From psychic readings to feeling lonely in a new city, Colvin took the audience through snapshots of not only her life, but her entire career. She said, when describing an experience touring with Suzanne Vega in 1988, “I don’t like people telling me what not to do.” Her confident and carefree spirit was infectious and exciting.
Colvin noted that her hit song “Sunny Came Home” is about a breakup that she created, or fictionalized, but I believe her message is that art is created around what becomes of the work post-creation. The audience resonated with that story heavily, and Colvin noted that she is grateful for the attention that the song received. Another song she wrote for herself as a lullaby was “I Don’t Know Why.” When she was struggling to find her place in New York as a young person, without even realizing she wrote it for herself at the time, Colvin said. Her mature perspective and voice throughout the night didn’t replicate the songs and sound from the records, but rather added another layer of life and love to the music.
Colvin expressed her deep gratitude for the audience and those who have stuck by her “all these years.” She finished the night with a cover of Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place” and addressed its loving lyrics to the audience, explaining that she is grateful to have done what she loves for so long.
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