Photo Gallery: Waxahatchee • Salt Shed • Chicago

Brassneck | April 21, 2024

Waxahatchee

The Salt Shed

Chicago, IL

April 20, 2024

Recap and photos by Curt Baran

Even this early into the year, it’s not unreasonable to expect that Tigers Blood will appear on a smattering of ‘2024 Best of’ lists. The sixth album from Katie Crutchfield (who uses the moniker Waxahatchee as a performing title) takes the best parts of her catalog-sharp, personal songwriting, an alt-country aesthetic and marries it all to her crystalline vocals and distills it all into her finest collection of compositions yet.

Crutchfield has recently hit the road to promote the record, and her current tour brought her to Salt Shed, Chicago. Her performance seemed absolutely lived in. Songs like “Right Back At It,” “Evil Spawn,” and opener “3 Sisters” sounded even more expansive than their studio versions. Fleshed out by a six-piece touring band, her songs feel somehow celebratory even when dealing with the heaviness of loss, longing, and the battles of sobriety. Drawing almost exclusively from her previous two albums (which include 2020’s Saint Cloud), the evening’s 20+ songs showcased a talent that is currently in the throes of a fertile creative run and has matured into the type of performer that is completely invested in representing their importance to an audience with receptive ears.