Julien Baker

stickykiss says:

"the amount of middle aged white men belting out her lyrics at this show was unreal. i'm like, how can you even relate to the problems of a twenty-something queer girl? and yet, there they were. very distracting."

I say:

But the twenty-something girls singing along didn't distract you as well? Wouldn't all the voices mix together? Why would singing from specific genders / age groups / races be distracting, and others not?

If the men singing along were people of color rather than "white men", would that have been more to your liking?

Does the subject matter of Sprained Ankle only concern twenty-something queerness, or are the themes more universal than that? Would the record have attracted universal critical acclaim if her lyrics were as narrow as you suggest?

Would Julien herself approve of such ugly identity politics as you've displayed here?

Wait, this is supposed to be a show review. The show was amazing. But I wasn't worried about who was there.

Paradiso, Amsterdam.

Great venue. Lovely people...

Appreciative audience waiting expectantly were not to be disappointed. Early start - she was the first of 4 acts across the Paradiso that evening.

Starting with an amazingly clear and cutting Sprained Ankle, Julien took us through her catalogue including some good new songs.

At times haunting, frail, powerful and wounded she held everyone captivated for the whole set. Lovely, deceptively simple arrangements and guitar playing.

Diminutive in stature, self deprecating on stage, she performed with confidence and class.

A great performance.

Well worth the trip from the North East of England!

Seriously if you have the opportunity to see Julien Baker, go for it. She's an amazing, honest songwriter and her music is absolutely chilling and beautiful.

When you get down to it, all musicians are human, but this is no more evident than with Julien Baker; she's amazingly friendly (we got to talk to her after the show, and she seemed more than happy to chat with fans) and funny. Also something that was rlly neat was her support for the opening artists. She sat in the audience and cheered them on and idk i just think that was awesome. Yeah. Great person, great music. Go see her. She deserves all the success coming to her :)

Actually stickykiss (supergenius), considering Julien Baker covers exactly four songs by Jawbreaker, Elliott Smith, DCFC and The Postal Service... I'd say it's fairly obvious that it is the twenty-something queer girl who's been relating to the problems of middle aged white cis males for some time now (and btw doing them all incredible justice).

Now please graduate from your college and knock off the vapid "mehmeh-weh-wehh".

It's tired everywhere else.

Unlike Julien Baker shows which are fresh to death!! Especially if there happens to be a piano that someone just left on the stage.

stickykiss says:

"the amount of middle aged white men belting out her lyrics at this show was unreal. i'm like, how can you even relate to the problems of a twenty-something queer girl? and yet, there they were. very distracting."

To add to Brian what about 20 year old queer girls who go to concerts and sing along to songs men wrote? Does that disgust you as well? Your logic is honestly one of the stupidest things I've ever had the displeasure of reading. Good luck getting through life with that mentality.

I had the privilege of attending two Julien Baker concerts this week, in Brussels and Amsterdam. Her attitude towards music is very inspiring. She gives her all in every song, never taking the easy way out. She is fully present for every note she sings or plays, and lets go of her ego and caring about her physical appearance in order to surrender to the music. It was a very genuine, vulnerable and brave show. A healing experience. Go see her!

This is the second time I've seen Julien Baker open for another band - first time Decemberists, this time Belle and Sebastian. I find it amazing that the audience just goes silent when she plays. She's magnetic - you just *have* to listen to her. Most of the shows I go to are giant sing-alongs and I hope that when she's headlining, we can all sing along. JB is a defining musician of our time and I am along for the ride.

the amount of middle aged white men belting out her lyrics at this show was unreal. i'm like, how can you even relate to the problems of a twenty-something queer girl? and yet, there they were. very distracting. julien's great though; her voice is very moving live. and she sounds pretty much exactly as she does on her album (which could be good or bad depending on your viewpoint, for me it was a plus.)

So lovely. Saw her back in May in Atlanta at a festival show. She had a few sound problems, but laughed her way through it - I love hte tension between the humor and the tragedy in the songs. She played a new one I hadn't heard, and of course played the ones we all came to hear.

She took time out to talk to me sidestage as she was setting up. Such a great artist and wonderful human being.

This was such a special night. Very intimate performance and ultimate vulnerability. It was amazing how silent/respectful the crowd was, so intent on giving Julien their full attention. Thankful for the venue as well, they made a Q&A available after the show to give the crowd a chance to engage and interact with the artist after the show. Wonderful and precious night.