The Head and the Heart brought every shade of blue to Liberty Hall
With support from Yoke Lore.
The Head and The Heart at Liberty Hall Nov. 13. // Photo by Bridget Craig
The Head and the Heart’s Every Shade of Blue tour found its way to Lawrence on Monday, Nov. 13, leaving attendees feeling astonishingly nostalgic.
Opening up for the indie folk band was Yoke Lore, setting the stage perfectly for an intimate-filled night. His crisp banjo instrumentals alongside his counterpart Garren Orr’s intense drumming took the Lawrence audience by storm as they set the foundation of emotions that would carry on throughout the night.
Their 45-minute set was a phenomenal passageway for all of the granola guys and girls to prepare for who they had been waiting to take the stage.
Once Yoke Lore wrapped up their performance, anticipations were towering as The Head and the Heart finally made their way to the center of the venue.
The six musicians opened up the night with “Every Shade of Blue” off of their most recent album which was released in 2022. As they continued on, they still managed to give the audience glimpses of their more recent sound, while also trailing back to some of their earliest releases.
Matt Gervais Performing at Liberty Hall Nov. 13 // Photo by Bridget Craig
Highlights of the night included tunes such as “All We Ever Knew,” “Ghosts,” “Let’s Be Still,” and “Lost in My Mind,” as the mirage of musicians brought the audience back to what felt like a warm early 2010’s summer night.
While band member Jonathan Russell led much of the songs that the band performed, the few songs that featured Charity Rose Thielen as the lead singer truly captivated the entire audience. With every breath that Thielen took, she simply took the breath of the audience away, despite the abundant enthusiastic cheers.
As the immense range of vocals from both Russell and Thielen captured the heart and soul of all audience members, the stage presence of Thielen’s husband Matt Gervais kept listeners uplifted through even their saddest of songs.
Chris Zasche Performing at Liberty Hall Nov. 13. // Photo by Bridget Craig
Not only did the instrumentals and lyrics mesmerize the diehard fans, but the exceptionally sentimental feel that the band provided made the experience quite personal.
The band dove into some of the history of their first few times in Lawrence and what drove them to eastern Kansas in the first place. One of the sole reasons why they have constantly found themselves in the college town is because bass player Chris Zasche met the love of his life in Kansas City, who was in attendance at the show with their children.
After many years and a wedding ring later, the Seattle-based band continues to make their way out to LFK. On top of the anecdotal love story, they touched on what some of their earliest Kansas gigs looked like.
They mentioned that many of their shows took place at different house parties around town, attributing a local high school teacher to being one of their most long-standing supporters, having attended numerous performances as the band was on the come up.
The Head and The Heart Performing at Liberty Hall Nov. 13. // Photo by Bridget Craig
No Head and the Heart concert could be complete without one song: “Rivers and Roads.” After the performers initially walked off of the stage, they trotted back on welding their guitars, violin, and drumsticks to play their most popular song.
Giving their all with each stroke of chords and breath of air, the long-tenured band closed out the soft-hearted night in a destination that is clear that they genuinely cherish.
