Courtney Barnett Concert Review: 'We Love You Courtney!'

The line to see Australian singer and songwriter Courtney Barnett stretched far down the street outside the House of Blues Boston on Sept. 12, showcasing the cities local hipsters in their finest in beanies, Doc Martens, and a variety of uniquely-patterned pants. On tour for her latest album, 2021’s “Things Take Time, Take Time,” Barnett is an experienced stage presence. From the moment she first appeared amongst the enthusiastic crowd in an all white outfit that absorbed the color of the blue spotlights, she was already perfectly at home.

The concert was a balance of songs from her newest album, opening with “Rae Street,” and beloved songs from across her discography including “Avant Gardener” and “Pedestrian at Best.” Barnett was liberated and unworried as she moved from corner to corner during the first five high-energy songs. She contorted her figure over her guitar, she traipsed in Frankenstein-fashion towards the stage lip, and she spun in circles with straightened, unbending knees: a horizontal spiral, swinging her unbrushed hair.

Barnett’s “Things Take Time, Take Time” is a thoughtful, lyrical collection that captures the day-to-day struggles of the human mind. Her performance style in calmer songs matches her music well: close up to the microphone, arms raised in the air, and a stare that is so real it cuts you. It is her contemplative lyrics coupled with her expressive face that makes it seem like she means everything she is singing. In a beautiful moment that slowed down the pace of the evening, Barnett sang “Depreston,” a softer song from her 2015 album “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.” She quieted her guitar so that the crowd could be heard singing along, purple lights seeping from the back of the stage across faces raised to Barnett’s smiling one.

Barnett sang “Depreston,” a softer song from her 2015 album “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.” By Courtesy of Lena Tinker

The concert was paced well, mixing pockets of peaceful songs with energetic pieces. The encore was particularly stunning, when Barnett reappeared in front of a grateful crowd to sing three additional songs. Sandwiching “Sunday Roast” with two songs from her new album, she celebrated the 90 minutes spent alongside her fans with “Oh The Night” before finally closing the evening with “Before You Gotta Go.” It felt as if she was speaking directly to her audience: “Before you gotta go, go, go, go / I wanted you to know, know, know, know / you’re always on my mind.”

Barnett’s fans are currently breaking into new ground alongside her, fresh after the March 2022 US release of “Anonymous Club,” a documentary film focusing on her world tour and internal struggles. The film’s website describes the project as initiated by Danny Cohen, a long-time collaborator with Barnett on her music videos, who asked her to record an audio journal beginning in 2018. Rolling Stone describes the film as a “portrait of depression,” while maintaining a “rockumentary” style. This deeper understanding of Barnett undoubtedly influenced fans in the crowd; in the emptiness between songs, someone belted out, “We love you Courtney!”

Barnett reappeared in front of a grateful crowd to sing three additional songs for the encore. By Courtesy of Lena Tinker

The whole concert felt like an encounter with a unique presence: someone who is trying to be genuine and honest in a difficult world. It is this feeling that makes her fans love her so much, and that made the concert a fully transportive experience. For a brief moment, Courtney Barnett was our guide, and through her words we equipped ourselves to better step back into the flow of life with grace for ourselves and others. In a 2021 interview with NME, Barnett said, “There’s nothing wrong with sadness or heartbreak — it’s finding the positive lesson or the positive outcome of those moments and thinking how grateful you are that those things happen so they could make you change in whatever way.”

—Staff writer Lena M. Tinker can be reached at lena.tinker@thecrimson.com.