Last night Annie Clark, AKA St. Vincent, graced the stage at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto as part of her Orchestral Tour. It has been two years since St. Vincent has played a show in Toronto, last performing at Massey Hall, Roy Thomson’s sister venue.

The performance began with opener, Ruby Plume who emerged solo on stage with nothing but a guitar in hand and an empty orchestra behind her. The singer-songwriter set the tone for the evening, filling every inch of the room with the quiet intensity of her vocals. It was a perfect way to introduce the musicality yet to come.

Shortly after Plume’s set, the conductor entered onto the stage, holding his arms open in a welcoming motion to the crowd. As the orchestra began to play the first notes of “We Put a Pearl in the Ground”, Clark stepped onto the stage in a bright white outfit and red shoes, standing out against the rest of the orchestra.

Immediately, her presence captivated the audience. Her powerful vocals during “Hell Is Near” reverberated around the circular design of Roy Thomson Hall and her mannequin-like poses and sharp movements enhanced her performance further. The classical sounds of the symphony, coupled with the alt-rock of her vocals and her own band’s instruments made for an unforgettable experience. Where some arrangements leaned more toward the orchestra, others were carried by more rock heavy sounds of drum and base, as performed by John Hadfield and Allee Futterer. Every moment felt cinematic.

The entire show was an immersive experience, particularly during her performance of “New York” where Clark stepped into the crowd herself. She walked up and down the aisles, stomping and clapping along to her song while stopping along the way to hug fans. It was a personal touch to an already heartfelt show.

Clark not only dazzled the crowd with her vocals, but also with her short humorous moments throughout the set. Between songs, Clark consistently drew laughter from the crowd making cheeky comments and dropping an f-bomb here and there. During her first encore song “Candy Darling”, she walked around the members of the orchestra, leaning on them and playing with their instruments resulting in more than a few giggles from the audience. Her personality shone throughout the performance, making it easy to see why she is so widely adored.

Her final song “Slow Disco” brought the entire show together. It was a moment that could only be described as pure musicianship. Clark performed the entire song kneeling in front of the orchestra, captivating the audience with her hauntingly beautiful voice. At the end of the song, the crowd held their breath for a moment of silence before erupting into applause. As Clark took her final bow and exited the stage, she received a single rose from an audience member – a token representing the entire audience’s love of the show.

Words and photo by Lia pulumbarit

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