From the top of Pike Place Market to the home of the Seattle Mariners, there aren’t many local venues big or small where hometown favorites The Head and the Heart haven’t performed.
The band’s origin story is well documented. The group of friends started off playing together at the Conor Byrne Pub, went on to sell more than 10,000 copies of their seminal debut before having a record deal and then continued on to play festivals, sheds and stadiums across the country.
The band’s success and their unwavering love for Seattle (which goes both ways) is what made Friday’s performance at Benaroya Hall backed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra feel so special. It was an unforgettable night filled with songs of emotion and musical artistry.
Led by conductor Norman Huynh, every instrument of the roughly 100-piece orchestra – from the French horns and harp to violas and bassoons – worked in concert to add depth, volume and additional spirit to the group’s lively, down-home indie-folk done Seattle style. The symphony elevated the band’s performance and brought new life to group’s catalog of songs.
The evening was divided into two halves. Prior to the concert the band was presented a platinum plaque representing one million units sold of its debut album. The presentation made for a perfect segway into the show’s first half, where the band played its first album in full backed by the symphony.
The set started with “Cats and Dogs” and by the time it reached “Coeur D’Alene,” the second song of the show, fans were making their way from their seats to the front of the stage to dance in the aisle. The adoring crowd went dead quiet while Charity Rose Thielen belted out the end refrain of “Rivers and Roads” with its conclusion leading to the night’s first of many standing ovations. And two songs later the crowd was on its feet again during “Lost in My Mind,” which became a raucous clap-along.
The group’s self-titled debut is a seminal Seattle record and getting to hear it performed live front-to-back with the addition of a symphony was a truly special experience. The members of The Head and the Heart seemed to acknowledge the specialness of the evening as they were all beaming smiles of gratitude, looking as if they were trying to take in the moment while also reflecting on everything it took to make the evening happen.
After a brief intermission, the group returned to the stage and delivered a set of material from throughout their career with backing from the symphony. And while the focus was on the band, it can’t be overstated how remarkably well the symphony meshed with The Head and the Heart’s music, and that’s mostly thanks to the excellent arrangements by Andrew Joslyn, the symphony’s associate director of popular programming.
“Another Story” sounded massive when it hit its climax with the symphony going full throttle to deliver extra heft to the song’s final moments. The swelling strings during “10,000 Weight in Gold,” a song singer Jonathan Russell said he wanted to add an orchestra to during its recording, felt like a natural addition to the track. And the sparse arrangement of “Beg Steal Borrow” provided a perfectly intimate and instantly unforgettable moment.
The evening came to a close with “Aperture,” the title track from the band’s latest album, which made for a perfect bookend for the set that began with the first track off the band’s debut.
So where does The Head and the Heart go after a career high point like performing with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra? They return to Connor Byrne, of course.
That’s right. The group brought it back to where it all started with a surprise show at the Ballard pub the night after their performance at Benaroya Hall. After both performances it is safe to say that from Conor Byne to Benaroya and back, the Head and the Heart are a Seattle success story in the best way possible.
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