St. Vincent has done some fairly high-concept tours over the last decade. Going out in support of 2017’s “Masseduction” album, on her synth-pop-glorifying “Fear the Future Tour,” she put pop-art video projections on the big screen, obfuscating masks on her band members, and a lot of latex in the dressing room, to magnify her candy-colored dominatrix look.
Conversely, on the tour behind 2021’s “Daddy’s Home,” she combined artifice with actual warmth, letting retro touches push some of the avant-garde flourishes aside. There, she went blond and led a team of backup singers through an old-school soul revue laced with touches of psychedelia. Her m.
o. now? The big concept in 2024 is to put on..
. a rock show. Of course, with St.
Vincent, nothing could ever be quite that simple. Hers continues to be a show that invites deep thoughts as well as primal responses. But apart from whatever neural pathways you might be tempted to go down while thinking about her lyrics and themes during the course of a concert, what stands out about the “All Born Screaming Tour” is how minimalist it is.
With no video screens, backup singers or sketches, and a lot of electric guitar, it’s the purest distillation of St. Vincent we’ve had on stage in quite a few years. And while we love the acutely conceptual stuff, too, she’s such a riveting talent that you’re drawn to get as close as possible, with or without bells and whistles.
In the interest of that closeness, we caught her.