One of England’s most prolific songwriters made a rare stop in Upstate New York on Tuesday, July 16, as Ben Howard performed at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock.
The historic theater provided a rare, intimate performance for Howard’s fans, who ofter have to seek out larger concert halls and amphitheaters to see the singer-songwriter perform.
The evening kicked off with a 30 minute set by Irish musician John Francis Flynn. Flynn took to the stage by himself, and performed a dramatic set of traditional Irish folk tunes. Performing solo, Flynn would create guitar and drum loops to back his vocals. He even took hand at the tin whistle, noting he had recently lost his previous instrument and was lucky to receive a new one in the mail earlier that day.
At promptly 9pm, Howard and his bandmates took to the stage with a roar from the audience. They would open with “Richmond Avenue”, a slow moving ballad off Howard’s 2023 release, Is It? Initially illuminated by a solo spotlight, dramatic lighting would adorn the stage as the song took shape.
Early in the evening Howard would praise the small town of Woodstock. “It seems quite perfect here”, Howard remarked, noting the band had visited a perfect shop, a perfect vegan restaurant, and the perfect concert venue before joking that he hoped to leave before discovering any dark secrets of the town. In truth, Howard is no stranger to the area, having recorded Is It? at Aaron Dessner’s nearby Long Pond Studio.
Through out the set, the theater would become engulfed in ethereal and atmospheric sounds, played to near perfection from Howard and his bandmates. While the band would perform early tracks such as “Promise”, “Small Things”, and “Diamonds”, Howard seemed the most proud of his recent work. Much of the night’s setlist featured tracks off of Howard’s two most recent releases and included songs such as “Follies Fixture”, “Far Out”, and “Days of Lantana”. The tracks were met with warm reception from the audience, and Ben Howard would often flash back a modest smile in return.
It was quite the perfect experience for the perfect town.
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