Sylvan Esso @ The Anthem [DC] - 11/11/2021
Sylvan Esso giving the good people of Washington D.C. what they want (Photo ©2021 Mauricio Castro)
As you may already know, we’re big fans of Sylvan Esso here. And their latest stop in DC doesn’t really change that. Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn continue to explore the space between the electronic and the organic, both in their latest album, 2020’s Free Love, and in their spartan but spectacular live performance. The last year and a half has emboldened Sanborn, like many others, to grow quite the mane. Of course, he was always quite the analog wizard, wildly twisting knobs and launching sequencers without a laptop as his crutch, but now he has the free-flowing hair to prove it. Meath’s Mountain Man-tested vocals over Nick’s frenetic electronics continues to be the duo’s ace in the hole, softly but clearly ringing throughout the 6,000-person venue, like on the room-shaking bass of “Numb.” And, obviously, her dance moves dared others in the room not to dance along to songs like “Ferris Wheel,” “H.S.K.T.,” and “Radio.”
Sylvan Esso’s latest album Free Love is out now.
Opening for Sylvan Esso was Colombian-Canadian artist Lido Pimienta, who easily won over those that didn’t know her before with her sense of humor, championing of indigenous Afro-Caribbean rhythms, and impressive vocal range. Her Grammy-nominated 2020 album Miss Colombia is out on Anti Records.
Photos by Mauricio Castro
Covid Safety Rating
Venue Check for Proof of Vaccination? Yep
Masks required? Yep
Was the audience wearing masks? 80-90%
But at least the staff was wearing masks, right? Yep