Dallas Thick beams of light pierced the warm, womb-like darkness of the Kessler Theater as the opening notes of St. Vincent's unsettling Surgeon swirled, coalesced and cohered.
The song kicked in and the sold-out crowd immediately began swaying in place, communing with one of their own. The Tulsa, Okla.-born, Dallas-bred singer-songwriter fostered an immediate connection with the audience, many of whom shouted "We love you, Annie!" all night long. "It's lovely to be home," she offered during a break.
St. Vincent, on the first night of a sold-out two-night stand (which continues tonight), is touring behind Strange Mercy, a confident, angular album that blossomed even more fully in concert. Backed by three musicians, the avidly perspiring Clark punched through one track after another, flinging serrated, visceral guitar lines into the murk.
And the boldness didn't stop with the music: Clark brought along a light show that would've been more at home at the American Airlines Center than the cozy Kessler. Dramatic moments abounded; Cruel began with Clark lighted from behind with a single, blinding spotlight. It ratcheted up the intensity of an already enthralling tune (and even inspired a little hipster-y dancing on the Kessler's wooden floors).
The taut songs -- Chloe in the Afternoon, Save Me, Actor Out of Work, Marrow -- packed plenty of space, allowing for Clark to showcase her ever-sharp guitar skills, reeling off a string of fiery, fulsome and borderline psychedelic bursts. And although Clark played the Granada Theater her last time through town, her tunes fairly sparkled in the acoustic jewel box that is the Kessler. It made for a night of close listening, pulling the crowd into her diffident sensuality.
Yet the prevailing mood was one of cheerful homecoming ("It's really sweet to be two miles from where I recorded Strange Mercy," Clark observed near the evening's end). It only slightly served to undercut the otherwise peculiar air cultivated by Clark's bristling, confident compositions. She's matured into a songwriter and performer who is unafraid to wade into visceral territory, yet has not forsaken her roots. It was as obvious as the bright lights behind her.
