Seattle folk rockers The Head And The Heart brought a special show to The Belasco on Thursday — and even shared it worldwide via a live stream.
The band will release their fourth studio album Living Mirage on May 17, and played many new songs from the upcoming record. They kicked off the show with new cut “See You Through My Eyes”, and played five total songs from the record.
One thing became clear early on. The Head And The Heart aren’t fucking around with this new album. Jonathan Russell and Charity Rose Thielen trade vocals on “See You Through My Eyes” wonderfully. Latest single “Missed Connection” is a banger that hits harder live. The groovy bass line comes through even clearer in that setting. The crowd was all-in on the “la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la” part of the chorus, it’s one of those earworms that will be fun to sing along to at festival main stages for years to come.
Of course, the old favorites are all aging well. “Let’s Be Still” and “Lost In My Mind” were two standouts from the set, coming right before the live debut of new song “People Need a Melody”. It’s a slow-burner with dueling vocals with the song really kicking into gear two minutes in.
The six-piece closed out their regular set with “Down in the Valley”, one of their most popular songs. They kicked the encore off with the title track from the new record. The song has a bit of a folk Springsteen vibe to it, especially in its rhythm. I can see it becoming a favorite of their live show.
The record is the first to not feature founding member Josiah Johnson as part of the recording process, as he took time away to get sober and is now pursuing a solo career. Though Johnson was an integral part to the band, it’s clear they’re still in good shape without him. He’s been replaced by Thielen’s husband Matt Gervais, who fits in nicely.
They closed out the encore with “Shake” and “Rivers and Roads” — two songs that certainly helped launch them towards the top of festival bills. Prior to the show, they unveiled a series of tour dates, but are skipping over LA. The closest they’ll come is the Santa Barbara Bowl on July 23. Check out their full tour dates below.
The Head And The Heart Summer/Fall North American Tour Dates:
04/14/19 – High Water Fest at Riverfront Park – North Charleston, SC
04/16/19 – Bijou Theatre – Knoxville, TN
04/17/19 – Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre – Wilmington, NC
04/19/19 – Hargray Capitol Theatre – Macon, GA
04/20/19 – Walker Theatre – Memorial Auditorium – Chattanooga, TN
04/21/19 – Manchester Music Hall – Lexington, KY
04/23/19 – Druid City Music Hall – Tuscaloosa, AL
04/24/19 – The Lyric Oxford – Oxford, MS
04/26/19 – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – New Orleans, LA+
06/21/19 – Alternative Buffalo’s Kerfuffle – Canalside – Buffalo, NY+
06/23/19 – Alt 92.3 Summer Open – Forest Hills Stadium – New York, NY+
07/06/19 – Starlight Theatre – Kansas City, MO *
07/07/19 – Stifel Theatre – St. Louis, MO *
07/09/19 – ACL Live at The Moody Theater – Austin, TX *
07/12/19 – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory – Dallas, TX *
07/13/19 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX *
07/14/19 – Brady Theater – Tulsa, OK
07/17/19 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Denver, CO *+
07/18/19 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Denver, CO *+
07/19/19 – The Great Saltair – Salt Lake City, UT *
07/22/19 – Comerica Theatre – Phoenix, AZ *
07/23/19 – Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA *+
07/25/19 – Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort – Reno, NV *
07/26/19 – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA *
08/16/19 – Woodstock 50 – Glen, NY+
09/06/19 – Murat Theatre at Old National Centre – Indianapolis, IN
09/08/19 – PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
09/10/19 – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica – Cleveland, OH
09/11/19 – 20 Monroe Live – Grand Rapids, MI
09/13/19 – Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL
09/18/19 – The Armory – Minneapolis, MN
09/19/19 – Stephens Auditorium – Ames, IA
09/21/19 – Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival – Franklin, TN+
09/26/19 – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium – Asheville, NC
09/27/19 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
09/29/19 – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre – Charlotte, NC
10/01/19 – Red Hat Amphitheater – Raleigh, NC
10/03/19 – The Anthem – Washington, DC
10/08/19 – The MET – Philadelphia, PA
10/09/19 – Palace Theatre – Albany, NY
10/11/19 – Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre – Wallingford, CT
10/12/19 – Agganis Arena – Boston, MA
10/14/19 – UPMC Events Center – Moon Twp., PA
10/15/19 – The Fillmore Detroit presented by Cricket Wireless – Detroit, MI
10/16/19 – Palace Theatre – Columbus, OH
10/18/19 – Algonquin Commons Theatre – Ottawa, ON
10/19/19 – MTELUS – Montreal, QC
10/20/19 – Sony Centre for the Performing Arts – Toronto, ON
*Hippo Campus
