It finally happened... I took a break from my 3-month-old baby for a night, drove into the city with a close friend, and went to the Christian Lee Hutson show at the Fox Cabaret (the aforementioned former porn theatre). It was an amazing evening spent connecting with one of my best gals while listening to gorgeous music. The best part was that I never felt overstimulated or overwhelmed, which says a lot. My life is inherently busy with a ton of moving parts right now, and I find myself seeking calm more than ever these days. It’s a good thing that I’m primarily an indie folk music fan because the live shows I attend are typically more intimate, low-key, and melancholic than the average concert. I like it low and slow with a dash of self-deprecation, what can I say?
This show was no exception to my wistful criterion for music, but the man himself was funny as fuck. Christian is a phenomenal musician, and seemingly generous and humble to boot. He hilariously recounted his song-writing process (weed pens!) and entertained questions from the crowd throughout the show. Because I am old and small and enjoy sitting more than standing these days, we opted for a table towards the back of the house. Had I been in closer proximity, I might’ve asked him what his favourite Phoebe Bridgers collaboration has been thus far. I think I might know the answer, but best hear it from the horse’s mouth.
Christian’s setlist was filled with some of my favourites: ‘Water Ballet’, ‘Rubberneckers’, ‘After Hours’, ‘Beauty School’, ‘Atheist’, ‘Lose this Number’, and ‘Autopilot’, saving ‘Tiger’ and ‘Twin Soul’ for last. At times it was difficult to see him and Odessa (violinist) because the stage front was crowded with more energetic folks, but I found myself closing my eyes a lot and just swaying to the music. It would’ve been cool to have been standing right up front, but let’s face it, my body can only take so much in this new postpartum era.
Allegra Krieger was the opener, and she’s mega-talented in her own right. Allegra has an insane voice, a completely relatable socially awkward stage presence, and came ready to serve with songs that were the right mix of woefully absurd (written about being a little 'trash rat' in NYC amid all the garbage, for instance) and beautifully poignant. She’s definitely found a new fan in me.
The only real bummer was that the show was over too quickly. But it was just as well… my baby pulled a bottle strike, and I was leaking breast milk into my pads, so we ventured home right away. But not before helping a nice same-sex couple get into the locked parking garage and safely to their car. This may have involved threats levied to Easypark about defecating in a parking garage doorway (or else), but I digress. Anyway, it was a fantastic concert, and I was able to reclaim a true sense of agency over my body for the first time in a long-ass time. When I got home, I resumed my mama role and my baby girl smiled up at me as if to tell me that she’s just fine with me taking the odd moment for myself. I just feel so incredibly grateful that I can hold all these parts of myself simultaneously. I never really thought it was possible before, but now I know that it is. So yay for that… and for live music that makes me smile.