I’ve seen better lighting at The Landsdowne tbh, but Katie Crutchfield’s presence was all the illumination needed
Walking on stage to Dolly Parton’s Here I Am—a move that immediately set the tone—Crutchfield had the crowd hooked from the first note. Dressed in a red ensemble with silver boots and a trucker’s cap, it was a look that screamed classic Waxahatchee.
Then, just as 3 Sisters wound down, she casually tossed her cap into the crowd, and if you weren’t in the first couple of rows, you felt a serious case of the jellies. Who wouldn’t want a piece of that memorabilia?
Waxahatchee’s first Opera House appearance was in 2018, a sold-out co-headlining show with partner Kevin Morby. Six years later—down to the day—Katie was back, debuting Tigers Blood, her latest album of heartbreakingly beautiful alt-country-tinged tracks.
The performance was a perfect balance of intimacy and intensity, effortlessly moving between new material and fan favourites.
Each song felt like it had the weight of an artist at the top of her game, delivering with the kind of emotional resonance that only comes from years of perfecting your craft.
Having Waxahatchee’s Tigers Blood on near-constant rotation since its March release, it was a big deal to finally hear it live. Highlights included ‘365’ and ‘Get Right Back to It,’ tracks that have already cemented themselves as instant classics.
With a killer backing band—Colin Croom (pedal steel, guitar, harmonica, keys, backing vocals), Eliana Athayde (bass, backing vocals), Cole Berggren (keys, guitar, backing vocals), and Spencer Tweedy (drums, backing vocals)—the night had a smooth, tight rhythm that supported Katie’s stellar vocals every step of the way.
The setlist was, to put it simply, fire. Highlights included ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ ‘Evil Spawn,’ ‘Lilacs,’ ‘Tigers Blood’ and ‘Fire’ to close the show.
Check out the the full set for Waxahatchee’s SOH performance:
3 Sisters
Evil Spawn
Ice Cold
Can’t Do Much
Problem With It (Plains cover)
The Eye
Hell
Right Back to It
Burns Out at Midnight
Bored
Lone Star Lake
Crimes of the Heart
Oxbow
Line of Sight (Plains cover)
Witches
Crowbar
Ruby Falls
The Wolves
Hurricane (Plains cover)
Lilacs
Tigers Blood
Encore:
Much Ado About Nothing
365
Fire
This was one of those nights where being in the room with an artist of Katie’s caliber felt like a rare privilege.
It’s not every day you get to witness a talent this immense in such an intimate setting. I’ll definitely be carrying the memory of this one for a while.
