LAURA STEVENSON / ANIKA PYLE 10.15.2021

Words and Photos By Adam Gerhold

Laura Stevenson played her first of a 4 show run at The Sinclair in Boston with support from Anika Pyle. It was a somber night filled with emotional performances, vulnerability, and even some comedic relief by way of a comical technical difficulty start to Stevenson’s set, and some honest stage banter about nerves and putting down her child.

Before Anika Pyle took the stage I had already heard multiple people in the crowd make reference to the sure fact that this show will make them cry.

Anika Pyle played a beautiful, and what seemed to be very quick set, including a heart wrenching reading of a poem for her late father called, “The Mexican Restaurant Where I Last Saw My Father.”

As I mentioned above, Stevenson’s set started with a short but mildly comedic issue of no sound in the guitar to which Stevenson said she had panic of this happening, and there we were. The set was packed with older hits and songs from her recent self titled record. Stevenson treaded the line between joyous banter and presence on stage, and emotionally intimate and sometimes raging playing, leaving the near capacity crowd entirely engaged and open. It was beautiful.