Concert review: Big Thief at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

People will stand for the most unexpected things.

Take, for instance, Big Thief’s Feb. 25 show at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium — a pairing of artist and venue so ripe for seated enjoyment that it’s a wonder La-Z-Boy wasn’t a sponsor.

And for a while, that’s how the evening played out as the band’s guitarist, Buck Meek, got things started with a solid but ultimately forgettable set of Americana originals. Backed by a talented four-piece unit, Meek shook his head like a disapproving parent in a D.A.R.E. commercial, lost in the groove of songs that struggled to differentiate themselves but ably filled the time.

Following a surprisingly long set break, Meek returned to the stage with the headliners, prompting an all-rise from the congregation as vocalist/guitarist Adrianne Lenker eased into opening number “Ruined” — which, like much of Big Thief’s catalog, isn’t exactly a pace-quickener. Reverence shown, the Orchestra Left section settled back into its padded chairs, seemingly acknowledging the chill folk rock that awaited, though portions of nearby sections remained upright.

That peace held until fourth selection “Happy With You,” where the slightest sign of an increased tempo prompted pockets of people to get back up, including attendees mere rows from the stage, nudging all behind them doing the same, lest they be stuck with a view of their neighbors’ rear ends and a glorified radio broadcast.

And so it went for the next hour-plus of well-written, competently played music that, despite the capacity turnout at the near 2,500-person venue, would have been more appropriate shared with less than half that many fans a few block away at The Orange Peel. Reminiscent of the 2016 performance by Dan Auerbach’s side project The Arcs at the Peel, Lenker, Meek, Max Oleartchik (bass), and James Krivchenia (drums) produced high-quality sounds paired with minimal stage presence, making the stand-and-sway audience response all the more baffling.

Indeed, other than Richard Manuel dead ringer Krivchenia’s consistent enthusiasm on the drum kit, only a handful of moments distinguished the stage show from Big Thief’s studio recordings — Lenker’s handful of risk-taking, atonal, borderline ugly guitar solos that, in tandem with a few late-set primal screams, made one wish she’d front a punk band; and the individual bandmates’ quick features on encore closer “Spud Infinity,” which also looped in Meek’s bandmate Mat Davidson on fiddle and Lenker’s brother Noah on jaw harp.

But within the mannered flow, such standout songs from the band’s discography as the lovely “Cattails” and the confident title track from its debut studio album Masterpiece served as a welcome reminder that the group does truly wield a handful of hits, albeit laid-back ones.

There’s also something special about seeing a rock band in 2023 that doesn’t use samples, and perhaps it was in appreciation of this WYSIWYG approach that influentially-positioned members of the Asheville crowd neglected the comfort of their seats (and the preferences of those looking forward to a listening-room experience).

“Thank you for standing,” Meek said during an extended technical time-out as the evening wound down, perhaps likewise surprised by the crowd activity. “And thank you for sitting.”

So it goes.

(Photos by Jonny Leather)

Buck Meek