Spotify’s AI-generated “daylist” feature would call it tender introspective hand-knit poetry Tuesday night, or something of that sort: an evening of profound lyricism woven together by Adrianne Lenker and a contingent of fellow artists and friends, performed at the Boch Center’s Shubert Theater to a sold-out crowd.

Suzanne Vallie, self-described former resident of “the bellybutton of North America,” opened the night with the introduction: “I ain’t wanna behave anymore. I wanna exist in an obvious way. I don't wanna behave. I don’t wanna behave anymore.” Vallie’s stripped-down set, featuring tracks from her 2020 album Love Lives Where Rules Die, was a celebration of simplicity. Sitting alone at her piano, illuminated by a single light, Vallie delivered husky, soulful vocals interspersed with anecdotes about her life on the Pacific coast and in South Dakota. Songs such as "Beauty from the Blue Country” spoke to feelings of nostalgia for rural freedoms and small-town life. “Thank you for being here and for giving me time,” Vallie said in closing, leaving the audience both charmed and reflective, ready for more raw lyrics and acoustic accompaniment from Adrianne Lenker.

“I wanted to be an inventor, collected scraps to make a portal / I wanted so much for magic to be real,” Lenker crooned during her first song of the night, “Real House,” off her newest album Bright Future, which was released earlier this year. Despite the theater’s large size and packed house, Lenker’s music created a night that spoke to each soul in a way that felt deeply personal. Flanked by friends Nick Hakim on piano and Josefin Runsteen on violin, she performed songs spanning her creative career, from “Steamboat” (2014) to the unreleased and beloved-on-social-media “Incomprehensible.” In between numbers, she shared stories from her time spent in Boston, where she attended Berklee College of Music. Tales of a summer spent in Cambridge, living in the attic of an apartment alongside graduate students in Harvard Square spoke to the quality of magic Lenker infuses into life, describing her experience as “the most romantic thing ever.” In a way that felt extremely resonant to this Harvard radio DJ, she talked about times spent by the Charles River, thinking about navigating new aspects of adulthood, as well as the feeling of absorbing all that existing alongside Harvard’s environment has to offer. 

The audience sat enraptured by Lenker’s performance and stories. As she played, the bright overhead stage lights reflected off of the glossy body of her guitar into the crowd, catching individuals in a shaft of light and lyricism. Aside from the occasional creaking of the theater seats, the audience listened and watched silently, fully beholden to embracing the experience of hearing Lenker share her songs. 

Partway through the show, Lenker was joined by friend and vocalist Mary Remmington. Together, they played a joint performance of Remmington’s 2023 single “Dresser Hill,” followed by an a cappella solo by Remmington during which Lenker left the stage. After returning, the two took a moment to model wool beanies knitted by Lenker’s grandmother, “Mema,” and for Lenker to announce to fans that she would be selling a limited number of handknit hats after the show. “All the proceeds go to my Grandma,” she added, inviting laughter from the audience. 

Lenker finished the night by showcasing hits off of her popular 2020 release songs, which she revealed Mema had created the cover art for. She invited the audience to sing along to her hit song, “anything,” which created energy and emotion among the crowd as the show came to a close. After applause, Lenker once again addressed the audience, shielding her eyes from the stage lights above, she looked out to the faces of her fans, seeming to search for words. She said, “It feels like there’s so much I want to extend or to say ...”

Sometimes, at an Adrianne Lenker concert, music functions better than words to share what Lenker called the “clunky” experience of being human. Fans left the evening abuzz with excitement and wonder at the show they had just witnessed, Lenker leaving us with a solo rendition of Big Thief’s popular track “Masterpiece.” I walked out of the Shubert Theater knowing that the collective experience of sharing in Lenker’s music was just that, a masterpiece of a evening, leaving everyone deeply moved, ready to reenter the chilly Boston night (with a stop by the merch table to check out Mema’s hats first, of course).

// Lucille Komar '27 is an member of WHRB's Advisory Board and a DJ and staff writer for Record Hospital.