Annie Hart Empty Bottle Chicago ‘23
Especially with the picture above, it’s hard not to talk about Annie Hart in the context of Twin Peaks’ third season, directed by David Lynch. That was where Au Revoir Simone, of which Annie was a part, played two songs — the only act to do so, if I’m not wrong. “A Violent Yet Flammable World” and “Lark.” Also how I first encountered their music.
Annie played the Empty Bottle in Chicago on Friday Oct 27th 2023. She was opening for A. Savage. It was Annie’s last show opening for him, and marked the end of her tour (to date) supporting her album “Weight of a Wave.” This is the setlist for the show.
She since announced further dates supporting Fred Armisen in the UK, as well as headlining shows in London and Paris. She had previously posted an Instagram story about trying to get her passport — presumably to be able to travel for these shows.
I didn’t recognize the first two songs she played. If anyone reading this does know what those songs were, please let me know, if only so I can update the setlist. I suspect they’re from “A Softer Offering” and “Impossible Accomplice.” She did mention that she had be changing up her setlist every night, so I suspect this was no different.
There’s not a backstage at the Empty Bottle. So Annie would have had to move through the crowd on the left of the stage to get up there. She came on carrying a white water bottle and a plastic cup of what looked like Coke. She took off her shoes towards the back of the stage and played barefoot for the set.
For the first three songs, Annie was behind her keyboard setup as shown above. The third song was “I Don’t Want Your Love.” For these songs, she was working the foot pedal pretty hard. For the first song, she was almost on tiptoes, and stretching herself a bit to reach the mic. Though she did re-adjust the mic stand later.
After that, Annie did a live loop of a cover, and got out in front of her setup to sing. Annie had posted something about 500 Miles before on her Instagram — it may have been a story that I’m not able to link to anymore. This is the more recent post where she talks about the live loop. This is a post about the LA show where she talks about people singing along to “a wildly beautiful looping cover of Hedy West’s “500 Miles.””
Annie previewed the next song by talking about how she knew a guy — I’m paraphrasing from memory. I think she described him as being important to her. They would spend time together. And then he ghosted her. She talked about how she understands people have stuff going on in their lives. Regardless, I think she called him on it at some point, but then he ghosted her again. Then she played the electric guitar (borrowed from the guitarist from A. Savage’s band) for “I Never Do.” This is the YouTube link for the album recording of “I Never Do.”
Before she started playing “I Never Do,” she also talked about playing the guitar with a bass pick, “so I hope you like a lot of strumming(?) sound.” But a guy in the front one person over from me on the left with long hair said he had a pick, so he lent her his. It looked like he carried picks on his keychain. She happily took it from him. She handed it back after the song. Later on I noticed that the guitar had a blue pick wedged in one of the plastic bits — she could have probably used that.
For the rest of the set Annie was playing the bass. This similarly was borrowed from the bass player of A. Savage’s band.
Annie introduced “Boy You Got Me Good” by telling the story she’s told a number of times about the song. In this case she characterized it (I think), as someone who thinks (or is saying) “you want to marry them.” I think she also sang different lyrics for the song. She sang “you were going on about the troubles, with these women, you were getting” — though in the recording (and per the lyrics on Bandcamp) it’s “with the city.” This made me feel like we were listening to the “actual” lyrics of the song, rather than the version that she chose to record. Similar to the original lyrics to “Paradise City.” But less crass, obviously.
This is the video for “Boy You Got Me Good.”
Throughout the set I was standing next to an older, gray-haired guy. I suspect both Annie and A. Savage knew him. When Annie was coming to the front for 500 Miles, she waved at him and gave him a look of recognition. A. Savage said “that song is for” him as well, during his set.
A number of times during the set, Annie would crouch down to fiddle with things below her keyboard.
At some point, probably during the last 3 songs of the set, her Coke ended up behind her as she was playing/moving around, and she spilled the Coke on the stage carpet. She did notice/react to that at some point, but kept going.
While she was singing 500 Miles, she was roaming the front of the stage. There was not a safety barrier, so she was right where the crowd was.
She was playing Kalamazoo a couple days before the Chicago show. I had considered driving the 2.5hrs (one way) to Kalamazoo so I’d get to see her twice. But didn’t end up doing it. It would have been a good chance to eat at Junly’s again. And perhaps ping Michelle to see if she wanted to go with me to the show.
During the set, Annie talked about (I think?) that day having read some Buddhist texts. And she talked about “the way of the opener” and how “they’re not there to see me.” I don’t know if I was the only exception — I’d never heard to A. Savage (or Parquet Courts) before this. Before that, she also talked about the people in the bar area getting to know each other, which made her appreciate the people in front of the stage who were watching/paying attention to her.
We had been a little concerned about how cold it would get that night. It had been less cold during the day, and the temperature was supposed to plummet that night. So we made it a point to drive the tiny car and try to park close to the venue. We got a spot right on Western, on the same block as the venue. That’s partly why we were early, because if we hadn’t gotten that spot, we would have parked in a SpotHero spot that was 3 blocks away.
The doors didn’t technically open at 9, and people were queued outside the venue to get in. Wife characterized the experience in line as similar to the Hot Doug’s line, when it was still open. When we got in to the main area, people seemed not to want to crowd the stage yet, with people sitting on the steps. Which is why we were able to get right to the front. I was able to lean on the stage before the set, and between sets, instead of having to sit on the floor so my feet didn’t get tired.
The day of the show, Annie posted a video story on Instagram of her outside the Chicago Micro Center, where there had been a rainbow.
This is Annie’s Instagram post the day after the Chicago show, talking about her time in Chicago. She reposted an Instagram story apparently of her cousin who was at the show.
My wife had wanted a shirt, but didn’t really want the social interaction of buying it from her at the merch stand. So I ordered a shirt, and a sticker (2 came) from her Bandcamp merch store on a Bandcamp Friday before the show. Annie’s e-mail about the order mentioned the Chicago show, though obviously we already had tickets — I had gotten them the day she announced them.
As we were navigating the venue, we saw the merch table, and her price list didn’t indicate there being a poster like at a previous venue. We don’t have a turntable, and I don’t buy CDs anymore. There are boxes of CDs unopened from the last time we moved. I had considered bringing my extra sticker for her to sign, but she did effectively sign the thank you note shown, which I think is probably more fun. If we want the other shirt/shirts we could probably still order them online.
This is where one of the stickers is now, along with the thank you note, above a painting by Jolene Joyner.
I now see the sticker whenever I walk out of my home office, and whenever I walk downstairs.
My guess is that I’m mainly putting this post together as an “aide memoire.” It does feel as if I’m putting together an “Annie Hart show scrap book.” Something I haven’t done for the rash of shows I’ve been going to since the pandemic.
There are a number of reasons why I don’t simply record video of the entire show as some do. One reason is the line from David Lynch’s Lost Highway. “I like to remember things my own way. How I remembered them, not necessarily the way they happened.” I think that’s what’s called — in comedy — a callback.
