From time to time the stars align and we are given a gift from the concert gods of the perfect pairing of venue and artist. The latest perfect pairing of venue and artist was this past weekend when we saw St. Paul and the Broken Bones make their debut at the legendary The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. The band have been out on the road in support of their fantastic latest effort Young Sick Camellia (out via Records Co.) since its release last year. Kicking things off for the night and opening things up were LA-based band Valley Queen.
Valley Queen is a name we’ve been hearing about and we were very excited to finally get to see. From the first note of their set to the very end, we were impressed with just how comfortable they were on stage as they powered through their set. You would have never guessed that they’ve never played at the Cap before, as they looked as comfortable on that stage as anyone who has played their multiple times. The band, fronted by Natalie Carol has a sound that had no trouble filling out the venue at all. In fact, it was the most packed opening set I’ve seen at the venue in a while which should tell you all you need to hear. If you need anymore proof, go listen to their album Supergiant that was released last year (…you won’t be sorry).
St. Paul and the Broken Bones have released three stunning albums, and through it all, I’ve missed every single one of their local New York shows due to conflict so I was not missing this show for anything. I’ve been hearing nothing but magical things about their live show, and I can safely report back that they delivered and far exceeded any expectations I had going into this show. If its possible, frontman Paul Janeway’s voice is even more powerful live and actually puts any of their recordings to shame. The energy Janeway puts on stage is infectious and unmatched as he sings his heart out during these songs. For this show, he emerged from backstage in a multicolored sequin covered cape, which he twirled around and hid under throughout the night. Even better, his shoes featured the same multicolored sequins to match his cape.
There is no St. Paul without the Broken Bones, and the band themselves far exceeded my expectations as well. At times on stage, the band doesn’t feel as expansive as they are, but they manage to create a sound that is absolutely massive. It’s this balance of Janeway’s powerful voice and sheer volume the band puts out that is what makes their show so magical. They manage to take songs from their albums and make them feel fuller that just can’t be matched when listening to a stream online or watching a video on YouTube. One of the best moments from the set was during the first three songs, guitarist Browan Lollar’s guitar strap fell off his guitar so he crouched down and continued to play. Janeway made his way over to him, tried to help and then patted him on the back and walked away. Janeway kept singing, smiling as Lollar kept playing and laughing. The two didn’t miss a beat and its moments like this that remind us why we love live music so much.
While the majority of the material the band played was off their latest effort, they still pulled out some deep cuts from their previous two efforts Sea of Noise and Half the City which created some thunderous applause from the crowd. For me, the highlights included “GotItBad” (where the band extended the normal near 5-minute song to almost double its length where we saw the band jam out as if they were in the studio just hanging out), “Flow With It,” and “Sanctify.” We also experienced a first at the venue, where Janeway split away from the band during the encore and sang through the GA floor, then ran upstairs and sang from the booths and eventually through the front row of the balcony to the other booths on the other side of the venue. He didn’t miss a beat singing the entire song, even if he was high-fiving fans or dangling himself over the edge of the railing. It was one of those moments I wouldn’t expect to ever see at the venue, but it happened, which just adds to the mystique of how great the venue truly is.
Find a full gallery of photos posted below, along with the setlist.
Valley Queen:
St. Paul and the Broken Bones:
St. Paul and the Broken Bones setlist:
1. Intro
2. LivWithOutU
3. Flow With It (You Got Me Feeling Like)
4. All I Ever Wonder
5. Lick A Mighty River
6. Grass Is Greener
7. Instrumental (with interlude of ‘So Fresh So Clean’ by Outkast)
8. Mr. Invisible
9. Convex
10. NASA
11. GotItBad
12. Apollo
13. Bruised Fruit
Encore:
14. Sanctify
15. Call Me
16. Broken Bones & Pocket Change
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