SCOTT TADY
PITTSBURGH — Long before she strolled through the Heinz Hall audience kissing heads, looking for a lap to sit on, and appearing tempted to crowd surf, St. Vincent delivered a one-of-a-kind concert Tuesday.
The night perfectly paired a truly alternative, artful rocker with the world class talents of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, which wasn’t just relegated to backup music, but given space to exceptionally shine.
Every song brought the delicious bombast of a Bond theme.
St. Vincent (the well-known stage name for singer-songwriter-guitar ace Annie Clark) accentuated the intensity; sometimes stopping her singing abruptly to allow the Pittsburgh Symphony percussionists to tack on a rousing beat. Other times, songs softly drifted into each other, tethered elegantly by stringed instruments.
Even diehard St. Vincent fans occasionally clapped prematurely, or waited an extra few seconds before recognizing a song’s conclusion, as deconstructed arrangements breathed fresh air.
Sporting a buttoned blue-green jacket atop a similarly hued shorts with tights, St. Vincent used dramatic arm gestures, long strides and stage glides in her red-strapped heels to add visual effect.
Though she captivated equally in the other moments when she simply planted herself at the mic stand and unleashed her full and near flawless voice — never too showy but always clear and emotionally resonant.
Once ranked by Rolling Stone as the 26th greatest all-time guitarist, the 43-year-old Dallas native built the suspense, waiting four or so songs until her guitar tech, resembling a Las Vegas showgirl, finally brought out the first of several electric guitars St. Vincent stroked and shredded to great ambient effect.
Again, her bursts of rocking guitar complemented, rather than overpowered, the compelling force of the orchestra.
I’ve seen a half-dozen other musical stars — from Nelly to Marie Osmond; and Trisha Yearwood to TLC — mesh entertainingly with the PSO, but none of them sounded as well-sequenced and seamless as St. Vincent together with Pittsburgh’s Grammy Award winning orchestra.
Judging by cheers and attire, the crowd was predominantly St. Vincent fans, not so much symphony subscribers. They cheered like rock audiences do for emotionally raw and punchy songs like “Reckless” and “The Party.”
St. Vincent sang adult alternative radio faves like “Digital Witness” (a jab at selfie society) and “Loss Ageless” (a satire on superficiality.)
Amid “New York,” St. Vincent shared a hug with an enthused front-row fan, then hopped off the stage and walked deep into the audience, plopping down on a occupied seat. She looked for a moment she might recreate that show-stopping moment in 2012, when she crowd-surfed while playing guitar at a raucous Altar Bar in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Smiling and making eye contact with fans, St. Vincent instead sashayed back to the stage, smooching a bald man’s head en route.
The intensity returned for “Paris Is Burning,” with her stage gaze shot like a laser beam outward and into the souls of audience members on the edge of their seats wondering what would come next.
After warmly and sincerely praising the PSO, St. Vincent ventured offstage then returned for an encore of the mellow and pretty “Slow Disco.”