Sharon Van Etten

Stubb’s, Wednesday, March 14

With Fiona Apple setting the stage for Sharon Van Etten, the Stubb’s opening block threatened to be a crash course in performance anxiety. Both rose above, yet whereas Apple buried her uncertainty in furiously unsettled outbursts, Van Etten handled the amphitheater crowd by turning inward, her rawness more an exposed bone than frantic slashing. Though starting nearly 30 minutes late, the Brooklyn singer proved calm and composed while still broiling with a pain and passion pulsing on opener “All I Can” from her new third LP, Tramp, on Jagjaguwar. With a backing trio and backing vocals bolstering her delicate intensity for the big stage, Van Etten tumbled trancelike into higher harmonies on “In Line” while the heavy percussion on “Warsaw” and “Major Chords” coursed emphatic, the latter writhing in darkly low moans that echoed Apple’s earlier set. The acoustic turn of “Kevin’s” managed to retain an impressive intimacy, and closer “Serpents” unleashed a wave of heady, hard-bitten turmoil like an emerging bruise, swollen and sore by the end. If last South by Southwest saw Van Etten impress in the clubs with the closeness of Epic, she’s since harnessed her deeply personal style for the larger audience without losing the spark of connection and confidentiality that propels her songs.

This article appears in March 16 • 2012.

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Doug Freeman has been writing for the Austin Chronicle since 2007, covering the arts and music scene in the city. He is originally from Virginia and earned his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He is also co-editor of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, published by UT Press.