Lucy Dacus Brings Memory to Life at the Civic
Lucy Dacus onstage at the Civic, by Victoria Conway
The indie artist filled the New Orleans crowd with joy and tears as we stepped into the world of her songs
Lucy Dacus could be an author. She builds meticulous worlds with her songs. She writes with a love and compassion that only a novelist would have towards the characters they create. She compiles the moments of our lives that can feel senseless, depressing, and sometimes hilarious, and turns them into something bigger than ourselves. Seeing her perform at the Civic Theatre recently was like watching images from a picture book leave the page and envelope us all.
Dacus is on the last leg of her Home Video tour, her 2021 album that received critical acclaim and garnered her a new audience. Half of the crowd only knew the songs from her latest record, and were transformed into deeper fans as they heard singles off of her first two albums, such as “Addictions” and “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore.”
To many people’s surprise, the floor put in place near the barricade was bouncy, and as people jumped up and down during the higher energy songs, non-dancers-just-watchers were forced to join the slight chaos (it’s a Lucy Dacus show, not Turnstile), smiling and laughing as they bumped into people.
The deepest Dacus took us into darkness was “Thumbs,” a violent, haunting track off the latest record that tells the story of an abusive, absent father meeting with his child for the first time “since the 5th grade.” A woman in front of me hung over the barricade, tears soaking her KN95 mask, wet cheeks glowing under the blue light. A lot of Dacus’s fans have similar experiences with contentious relationships with their parents, whether that be absence, rejection, or any other sort of strain. You could tell that for many members of the crowd, it was a healing experience to be there and witness these songs performed live. Dacus puts complicated emotions into words, and makes it clear that all pain is important.
The front row for Lucy Dacus at the Civic, by Victoria Conway
Lucy Dacus at the Civic in New Orleans, by Victoria Conway
Lucy Dacus’ setlist, by Victoria Conway
Lucy Dacus onstage, by Victoria Conway
The sign on the door, by Victoria Conway
