Watching Lucy Dacus perform at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway felt like a walk through a museum on a rainy day. Both meditative and energetic, the performance brought to life the dynamism of Dacus’ newest album, “Forever Is a Feeling.”
Dacus officially kicked off her tour on April 16 in Philadelphia, and will play at various iconic venues throughout the country before making her way to Europe in June. “Forever Is a Feeling” is Dacus’ fourth studio album. It’s hard to believe that this is the singer-songwriter’s first solo world tour. Having toured extensively with boygenius in 2023, Dacus exudes a subtle but notable confidence when performing.
This album is visual, making its live component essential to our understanding of it. It became clear at her first Boston show that Dacus took the visual production of “Forever Is a Feeling” seriously, while staying true to its inherent simplicity.
The stage was set with imagination — a dark red curtain overlaid with framed Renaissance portraits that changed throughout the performance. From sensual images of female bodies reminiscent of “The birth of Venus” to more modern color-blocked portraits of facial features, the visuals at MGM remained thematically consistent.
It was not just the Renaissance-inspired backdrop of the concert that transformed the performance from one of music to one of art. “Forever Is a Feeling” is an ode to the intimate yearning of classical art, and you can hear this yearning in Dacus’ raw lyrics and breathy vocals.
Dacus unassumingly walked on stage to “Hot & Heavy,” a song from her 2021 album, “Home Video.” The song is a mid-energy reminiscing of the singer’s hometown, making it the perfect introduction to the performance.
Next, Dacus performed “Ankles,” from her new album. This song is emblematic of the tension that exists throughout the album. Melodically upbeat and lyrically heartbreaking, “Ankles” is an imaginative visualization of a relationship that may or may not be real. The song opens with “What if we don’t touch? / What if we only talk / About what we want and cannot have?”
I should clarify that watching Dacus perform is not purely devastating. In fact, there is an innocence in “Forever Is a Feeling” that makes the album distinct from her previous works. Many of her fans would agree that “Big Deal” and “Best Guess” are two of the most romantic songs of the year.
Fans know that Dacus is in a newly public relationship with former bandmate Julien Baker. Dacus openly invites us into their raw, romantic intimacy with this album and with performances like the one she gave in Boston.
With surprise songs like “Please Stay” and contemplative indie throwbacks like “Triple Dog Dare,” the “Forever Is a Feeling” tour is both cohesive and variable. “Night Shift” was a fitting night cap, an emotional release of the heartbreaking tensions built throughout the night.
If nothing else, there is a certain safety in a Lucy Dacus performance. Fans can grieve, cry, love, laugh and scream, all within the bounds of a digitized picture frame.
