The Wild Hearts Tour @ The Greek Theatre - Los Angeles, CA

“The nights are now; Better stay, light; I’m looking for a way; Darkness fades”

“Darkness Fades”, Sharon Van Etten

A night of hope and optimism after heartbreak filled the Hollywood Hills last Thursday night as The Wild Hearts Tour stopped by the Greek Theatre.

This tour brings together the monumental talents of Julien Baker, Angel Olsen, and Sharon Van Etten for a co-co-headlining voyage. While each has their own distinct brand of shimmering beauty in their music, their fanbases certainly have a lot of crossover.

The night began with Quinn Christopherson, an Alaskan solo artist who performed earworm after earworm in his 25-minute set. He ended his set with the sentimental “Thanks”, a beautiful tribute to some of his loved ones in the audience.

Next was Julien Baker. Baker has been a staple in the low-fi indie scene for years now and has equipped a full band on recent releases to elevate her sound. Her band made the trip this tour and her live sound is better for it. Her songs soared across the nearly 6k in attendance, from the opening cut “Sprained Ankle” to closing track off her most recent album “Ziptie”.

After about 20 minutes, Angel Olsen took the stage with her band and breezed through most of her 2022 album Big Time. This most recent effort finds Olsen really focusing on a country twang in her music; something that she’s alluded to her in her previous projects but never dedicated an entire album towards. In this setting, and with these co-headliners, it was a nice change of direction in the evening. The stunner for Olsen was her closing rendition of “Chance”. The ease and smoothness of her vocal transitions were nothing less than mesmerizing.

Ending the evening was Sharon. She’s been around longer than any of the artists on the bill and has collected a fanbase that reflects that 10+ year dedication. Her music is always poetic, disarming, and has its heart on its sleeve. As a capper on an such an incredible evening, her performance could not have been more perfect. Songs of triumph, perseverance, and bravery filled her setlist and the highlights were everywhere. The bittersweet “No One’s Easy to Love” was a punch to the gut; the up-tempo version of “Every Time the Sun Comes Up” was a delightful surprise; “Darkish” began with a lovely message from Sharon about waking up and finding the good in a day. The final song on her set was “Seventeen”. It’s an anthem made for herself and everyone in the crowd. The thousands in attendance sang along accordingly.

After a brief encore, everyone knew what was coming: the 2022 collab between Sharon and Angel “Like I Used To”. It’s an Americana banger that can’t be played loud enough. It’s also an ode to looking back on the good old times with a fond nostalgia instead of a wistful longing. For the Greek crowd, this will certainly be one of those times to remember.