It’s my first time at the NAC Fourth Stage and I’m delighted by the intimacy the venue offers with soft twinkly lights, cocktail tables surrounding the stage and ample seating. The opener, Gabrielle Shonk, takes the stage. With flaming pink locs, an oversized suit and a sincere posture that matched her lyrics, Shonk charmed the audience with songs from her sophomore album, “Across The Room”. Themes include anxiety, exes and people-pleasing but her beautiful tone and masterful guitar playing mask the emotional blow. A successful opener, her jazzy blues inflections and awkward charm won over the crowd.
Soon enough, Haley Blais and her band take the stage after a short intermission. Just in from NYC, they’re exhausted but the show was anything but. Blais’ sophomore album, “Wisecrack”, is a folk-pop masterpiece with lush instrumental arrangements that subtly engulf the listener and I’m glad this ambience was reflected in the show’s production. The music starts on a soft note but soon enough, we’re jamming to “Reset button” and “Survivor’s Guilt”. Blais is an engaged performer and often flits from corner to corner to dance with the other band members. The crowd is polite at first but Blais pulls us in with her outgoing nature and sarcastic banter. “If you know the song, sing along! It’s your show too baby,” she quipped before singing her title track “Wisecrack”. And sing along we did. Blais pulled another singalong out of us for the popular “Coolest fucking bitch in town” before pretending to exit the stage. One standing ovation later, she’s back to give us one last offering: a heartfelt piano-led ballad of an older track, “Be Your Own Muse”.
Post-show joy lingers long after Blais and the band exit the stage. As giggling fans surround the merch tables and line up to meet Shonk and Blais, I see a fan who’s already put on their Haley Blais tour merch. Their excitement is understandable, I almost put mine on too.
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