Gentle elbows rubbed each other, and the rumble of talking consumed the venue – Trees was packed for the event of the season. Hundreds of Dallasites crowded the space for the highly anticipated Angel Olsen, a presence so serene and stylistically pure it had to be a sold out occasion. 91.7 KXT presented the midwest artist on her tour of the states in support of her latest album My Woman, and the audience was in full captivation.
The warmup act Chris Cohen started off in blissful fashion. The California band, featuring drums, guitar and synth, swayed to gentler tunes and perky rhythms, such as on “As If Apart,” filling the volume of Trees with pleasant and beachy vibes. Soon enough their set concluded, short and sweet.
A lengthy intermission prompted the reopening of the curtains and the main event to start. Angel Olsen and her 5-piece band stood over the packed audience. The crowd exploded with her over-joyous welcome to Deep Ellum. She started with “Never Be Mine” to near-perfect sonic quality and the swooning began.
Trees put on an outstanding sound setup for the show. Angel Olsen excelled at all her numbers with the level of attention to sound going on at Trees – a commendable job. The variation of energy – from “Shut Up Kiss Me” bringing grit and impassioned lyrics, to the rare performance of “Acrobat” showcasing ultra-mellow and emotional tone, resonated heavily with the audience. Each and every song erupted with applause from the essential excellence Olsen brought to the show. We remembered why we love rock because Angel Olsen embodies her music, carrying it in her heart and mind oh so tight, and its evidence was at Trees.
Her encore was demanded after “Give It Up” where Olsen returned to her band to take up the synth instead of guitar. Perhaps one of the most important, tearful and amazing songs of the evening was at this point when she cued on “Intern,” the speakers swelling the room with spacey synth chords and an absent rhythm.
The crowd yearned for more. More from Paul (the rhythm/solo guitarist). More from Heather (the back up singer celebrating her birthday the same night). More from Olsen. She could supply so much, however, and her show had to conclude. “Total Control” topped off her set, crooning her last notes and smiling to the grateful audience.
