Bartees Strange at the Crocodile

Bartees Strange toured through Seattle earlier this month playing at The Crocodile, traveling away from his chosen home in Baltimore, Maryland. On Valentines Day this year, he released his latest album Horror, and it easily became my most streamed album so far. My partner Nate the one who introduced me to Bartees Strange’s music earlier this year and has been one of his favorite artists for a while now, so I obviously had to bring him to the show as well.

Tré Burt opened the show as a one-man act – just Tré, his guitar, and the backlighting of the stage. Tré’s acoustic set held the room captive as he sang songs and captivated with his storytelling. His third album, Traffic Fiction, was a tribute to his late grandfather Tommy Burt, and he’s been touring with it for a couple of years.

Bartees Strange and his full band took the stage and opened with his song “Doomsday Buttercup.” Song after song, Bartees dynamic way of using sound, stage movement, and poetic lyrics held the gaze of everyone in the room.

Bartees and his band played some of our other favorites, such as “Too Much,” “Lovers,” “Sober,” “17,” “Baltimore,” and “Backseat Banton.” In between songs, he would tell stories, share parts of his life, what it took to create his albums, and joked about his credit score – which felt very relatable at this point in life.

When I wasn’t shooting photos, I stood with my boyfriend, singing along to the honest and heartbreakingly painful and sweet songs that we knew by heart. Looking around the room, I noticed everyone else was also doing the same. No phones out at every moment like other shows I’ve been to, just the intimacy of the room – authenticity and full of heart – what shows used to be like before technology and people’s need to show everyone else what they’re doing on social media.

After the show, Bartees and Tre met with those who were lining up to buy their merch and taking photos with fans. Nate and I observed the room, waiting until it was mostly empty and the stage crew was packing up, to go up to talk with Bartees. Watching Nate get a little bit starstruck meeting and thanking Bartees had me in my head hysterically laughing at the moment and so grateful for the experience.

Everything Bartees touches is real, intentional, and golden. Bartees’s soulful voice, the way he plays his guitars with such power and passion, and his genuine interaction with the crowd creates such an immersive experience. All in all, it was a truly magical evening with Bartees Strange & friends and couldn’t have been a more perfect show to fully savor being held by someone you love.