At The Anthem in D.C on Oct. 21, Clairo managed to create a warm atmosphere for a sold-out show in all possible ways, from a simplistic stage to room for crowd work. The soft-rock sound of the singer-songwriter’s newest album Charm and its designated tour truly reflect her uniqueness and changing style. As someone who has been a fan of Clairo since the release of “Pretty Girl,” this night meant basically everything to me.
Indie artist Alice Phoebe Lou opened for Clairo. Despite some technical difficulties, I loved her stage presence, finding her music and personality very similar to Clairo’s. She had the same comforting voice with a smooth sliding guitar and band to support her.
Clairo came on about 30 minutes later, getting right into the blissful music I expected. She then caught everyone’s attention with “Nomad,” a personal favorite.
A basic yet shimmering stage surrounded a lively yet calm band. It sounded like they were casually improvising at a local jazz club, but the audience was struck by Clairo’s contrasting yet relatable lyrics of navigating a troubled love. She pranced around the stage with her headphones on like she was alone in her room.
“I can’t dance in this goddamn dress!” Clairo shared with the audience after only three songs. The band improvised, keeping it entertaining with things like a breathtaking flute solo while Clairo did a quick change. She came back in a comfy white shirt and matching pants, ready to continue the show. She continued to keep things interesting throughout the show by doing more quick changes, altering the stage lighting colors, and whipping out her guitar or keyboard for a more booming sound.
Clairo performed all but two songs from Charm, all sounding like the original recordings. She also performed songs from earlier albums: three songs from Immunity, a few singles (including a stripped down version of “4EVER”) and three songs from Sling.
“This is my favorite song to perform,” Clairo said before beginning “Amoeba.” During this song, I realized how easy it is to dance to Clairo’s music.
The concert ended with her most popular song currently: “Juna.” The setlist contained a good mix of faster and slower songs and nostalgic and newer songs.
Overall, I found the best performances to be “Bags,” “Flaming Hot Cheetos” and “Terrapin” (go Terps). Clairo got wholesomely ecstatic reactions to all of these songs. For example, “Flaming Hot Cheetos” was nostalgic for everyone, allowing the crowd to scream every word in unison. “Terrapin” was beautifully orchestrated and mesmerizing. My main highlight from the show was Clairo calling us “sexy” as a transition from “Bags” into “Sexy to Someone.”
Clairo is an incredible performer. Many argue that she is not exciting on stage but I could not disagree more. She still has her quieter voice but mesmerizes people with it and her clear passion for music. She created such a beaming ambience that I often do not see in other concerts.