Adrianne Lenker Creates ‘Bright Future’

The talented Adrianne Lenker was in town for a sold-out show at the beautiful Paramount Theater supporting her latest solo album Bright Future. While Lenker is widely known for her band Big Thief, she is also a successful solo artist who has released six albums over her career. We had never seen Lenker play solo, but we were excited to see how this would go as the album is one of 2024’s favorites.

This was a seated show, and the stage was set up with a few chairs and instruments in the middle creating a very stripped-down minimal feel. Opener Nick Hakim took a seat at the piano and started the night and his voice echoed quietly in the room as people listened to his music. He has released a few records the most recent Cometa via ATO records and he’s been credited for his involvement in many projects with high profile artists. Hakim played the piano and sang on Lenker’s new album, so it made a lot of sense for him to open the show and then come back and join Lenker for the second part of her set.

Lenker took the stage and her set included a good mix of Big Thief songs along with her own solo work. She started with “Simulation Swarn,” “The Only Place,” and “my angel.” The first part of the show was Lenker playing her guitar alone but still finding a way to fill the room with her voice and sound. It’s not often we get to see this room with just one person on the stage and this felt like a treat. It’s obviously not easy to do and many people don’t have the bravery to do so. Being completely alone feels even more intimate than a show making the artist feel even more vulnerable singing by themselves.

For the second part of the set Nick Hakim joined on piano and Josefin Runsteen on violin creating a fuller sound we all enjoyed. I think it was a great way to create the live experience by starting on her own and then being joined by a couple of people. This was such a great concert to enjoy, and seating didn’t feel bad either. Lenker made a few jokes about the fans that kept making cat sounds when she would go between the songs. We all laughed, and it was pleasant.

They all returned for the encore again and finished with the magnificent “Anything,” where Lenker asked the fans to sing along to the words if they knew them. And that they did. This was the absolute highlight of the night creating that magical live feeling we all are here to experience and long for. What an artist to catch live.