I'm gonna skip all the parts about my anxiety of being in a crowd of 1200 people during a pandemic and just get to the good stuff. CHVRCHES played their first of two nights at the Observatory North Park on Monday, December 13.
Darren, Nova and I have been listening to their latest, Screen Violence, incessantly. It has become a staple in the speakeasy for me and D. We jam it in the car. We sing along. It's easy to call CHVRCHES a family favorite that we can all agree on.
This was my fifth or sixth time catching the band, so it's always fun to see what they'll include on their setlist. We got some favorites, old and new, plus a couple unexpected. We were also curious how she'd perform "How Not To Drown" which has the great collab with Robert Smith, but Lauren sang the whole thing instead of enlisting the bandmates to do so.
The set had something for all fans. The indie jams, the pop anthems, and even the heavier EDM-leaning songs with the big drops that make the crowd go insane. And Lauren joked about how she thought it would be a great idea to do costume changes which is why the setlist has some funny spacing in it. We got four solid looks that complemented the music being played, from mysterious with a black transparent lacy cloak to angelic feathers to a rocker dark jumpsuit to a playful look of t-shirt (her own Final Girl merch) and shorts.
I do also have to mention that Nova and Darren got a spot along the back tier railing next to a couple. They eventually made conversation about how cool it was that Nova was a fan and that it was a wholesome activity for us to all do together as a family. She revealed she's a principal at a private high school in Carlsbad, her partner a high school teacher. She then proceeded to get absolutely hammered. She vaped weed the whole show while pounding Modelos and slipped and fell at least twice. I hope she remembers the show and not just from the certain bruises she has on her ass. We're still in a don't-take-your-mask-off-under-any-circumstances mandate among our household, so it's funny being so dead sober around all that pent up energy of people just wanting to get completely sloshed.
So yes, the show was great. We were also next to a guy who was a Donna Missal superfan, so it was kinda fun getting the lowdown on her before she took the stage to open the show. She was great and faintly brought to mind Kitten for me, who play every show like they're in a stadium for their biggest, baddest show ever. Her pics are at the end of this post. All after the jump.
Setlist as written:
INTRO/ HE SAID SHE SAID
FOREVER
LEAVE A TRACE
CALIFORNIA
HOW NOT TO DROWN
VIOLENT DELIGHTS
SCIENCE
GOOD GIRLS
BURY IT
MIRACLE
NIGHT SKY
FINAL GIRL
RECOVER
NEVER SAY DIE
ASKING FOR A FRIEND
MOTHER
CLEAREST BLUE
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