LOS ANGELES, CA- It took me a little longer than usual to get around to writing about this show. More time than usual. It’s not that I didn’t have anything to say. Quite the contrary. I had too much to say … but I just couldn’t put it into words.
Everybody knows that I’m particularly fond of Lauren Ruth Ward‘s music and live shows. Heck, I have two more posts from my time at SXSW featuring her that still need to go up. I could wax poetic about how much I adore her live performances. No .. this show had a little more weight than others for me.
Last month, the Los Angeles music community lost one of its own when Emery Becker was killed after getting hit by drunk driver. Emery and I actually talked about attending, and photographing, this show when we were both at Girlschool LA, so being there and not seeing him with his camera in the crowd was slightly unnerving for me.
But as good music often will do to me, I got lost in sonics and performances of the opening acts and just enjoyed the moment divesting myself of any negative thoughts. After her friends Dean Passarella, Kameron Grae and Josiah and the Bonnevilles properly lubricated the audience with good vibes from their opening sets, Lauren Ruth Ward took to the stage with her band and gave a performance befitting a sold-out, iconic venue.
Lauren’s performance was otherworldly. Not only was her stage presence and musicality on point this evening, but she enlisted the aid of some more of her talented friends to give the audience a little something extra. As a fan of American Sign Language performances at concerts (even though I only know how to sign letters of the alphabet), Caroline Blaike’s dramatic, equally dynamic handwork was a joy to watch. Sarah Prinz joined Lauren on stage to provide additional choreography that seamlessly flowed with the mood of each of the songs she danced along to. Liquid Courage Light Show provided some psychedelic eye-candy to accompany the psychedelic vibes that Lauren always has in spades. She even had Josiah come back on stage to perform a surprisingly adventurous cover of Blur’s “Song 2” (honestly, I couldn’t even tell it was a cover!)
But at the end of the day, all of these special extras simply enhanced what would have been an already spectacular performance that would make other artist’s jaws drop. All Lauren would have needed was the assist from her stalwarts Eddie Rivers (guitar), India Pascucci (drums) and Liv Slingerland (bass) backing her up, and they were each killing it on their respective instruments.
But I think that Lauren, by enlisting the aid of her friends, whether she did it intentionally or not, was simply sharing the moment with as many people in the creative musical and artistic community as she could. She even took a moment towards the end of the show to acknowledge and thank makers of her stage outfit.
And that’s yet another reason to love her so much. She believes in the creative community in Los Angeles, and wants to support it as much as it has supported her. She was particularly vocal about supporting female musicians in LA because “it [was] about fucking time” she explained when talking about the residency she had in January at The Echo and Echoplex. which she purposefully stacked with female talent.
And this bring me back full circle as to why it was hard for me write copy for this post. Emery was part of our creative community. A very big part of our creative community.
Towards the end of her set, Lauren took a moment to pay homage to Emery. She spoke lovingly about the gentle giant that played an important role in her life, and noted how is absence was palpable. She asked us say his name aloud, which we did, and in that moment, a beautiful tribute, I lost my breath after saying Emery’s name aloud.
That moment offered a bit of closure for me. I’ve only shed a tear at three concerts in my entire life. At the Hollywood Bowl when Peter Gabriel sang “In Your Eyes”, at the Bowl again when Elvis Costello sang “Allison” and when Lauren paid homage to Emery at this how. But that simple act, at an event that I know Emery would have been at, did more for my state of mind than attending the memorial services a few days earlier.
Lauren Ruth Ward. Scorpio siren. Powerful woman. Healer.
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LIVE CLIPS
Lauren Ruth Ward at the Troubadour 3/29/18. Thoughts and photos coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/zrDguXMO63
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) April 16, 2018
Lauren Ruth Ward at the Troubadour 3/29/18. Thoughts and photos coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/90Znm9yGLt
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) April 16, 2018
Lauren Ruth Ward at the Troubadour 3/29/18. Thoughts and photos coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/zUwoWmBPSu
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) April 16, 2018
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