Last week Katie and I had the pleasure of attending the very sold out St. Lucia and HAERTS show at Terminal 5 and guys, honestly, I don’t even know where to begin. Also, for clarity, when I say ‘very sold out’ I mean I’ve never seen Terminal 5 so intensely sold out. I’ve seen Terminal 5 packed, sure, but this was a different experience. It was like the entire venue was riding on the same supercharged, electro-fused wave that just bounced from one body pulse to the next. Real thing of beauty, guys.
ANYWAYS, before we dive in let’s just quickly chat about this superb combo. St. Lucia featuring HAERTS? Right?! I know.
Now, given that Jean-Philip Grobler of St. Lucia and HAERTS have a perfectly crafted past that landed the band members at the same party, on the same night, that lead from one spontaneous studio session, to a full on music collaboration (St. Lucia not only produced some of HAERTS album but intro’d Garrett Lenner, HAERTS guitarist, to the band), it wasn’t completely shocking that these two groups went on to share the stage. But still. Bravo.
Haerts
That said, thing about these show reviews is they tend be subjective. All based on personal opinions and sometimes, preconceived notions. Tis why Katie and I have each outlined a couple of our individual takeaways and key moments from the night.
Haerts
Performance
Katie Henry: In this category I would go with Most Improved. In a previous show I’m not sure the lead singer ever left her mic stand. Not this time. Nope. Haerts took the staged and owned their spot on stage.
Monica Apodaca: Historically, HAERTS is incredible when in an intimate setting, when it’s just you and them. They tend to be much more reserved when they perform, mystical even, letting the vocals do the heavy lifting. This performance was different. Fabi commanded your attention. She took her mic off the stand and used the stage to paint this sort of elegiac picture for us. Something we’ve rarely seen from them guys. And they are only going to get better. SO CATCH ‘EM WHILE THEY ARE HOT.
Haerts
Vocals
KH: Sound is not the best in Terminal 5 but I think considering the circumstances, she sounded amazing.
MA: Agree. Technically, this wasn’t the strongest performance I’ve seen from these guys. Sound can be a beast at this venue- it’s big, it tends to echo, and sometimes the crowd can overpower. In fact, it was nearly impossible to hear Fabi’s second mic which is a bummer since she usually coos and woos studio quality background vocals.
St. Lucia
Performance
KH: High level of dancing, jumping, foot stomping and singing out loud but enough about me…St. Lucia was incredible! The energy level was right where it needed to be, at the highest of highs. Between the hair flips, dropping to his knees, jamming on the guitar, spinning in circles and dancing with the jammed packed house was mesmerizing.
MA: All of the above! Jean-Philip Grobler was like the synthesized electro pop version of Beyonce. And those massive confetti blowers?!
Vocals
KH: Nailed it.
MA: No technical problems here! Grobler was.spot.on. It was complete perfection. He hit every note like he’s been doing this since birth. Probably just didn’t have the hair fan back then??
Stand out Moments
KH: Start to finish
MA: Agreed! Have to say, this entire band is magnetic. Individually these guys are exceptional. They ooze with this raw, almost vulnerable talent. And they share this equal amount of exuberance and stage presence. Do yourself a favor and GO WATCH THESE GUYS LIVE.
