The Head and The Heart feel at home in LaFayette

Not many bands come prepared with the perfect song for the place they are performing at. But on Wednesday night, The Head And The Heart did just that for a couple thousand fans at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards.

“This very much reminds me of home,” singer Matt Gervais said as he introduced “In the Orchard” and the song’s inspiration from wandering around apple orchards in his home state of Washington.

The appropriate tribute was one of many special musical touches that The Head And The Heart incorporated in its return to Beak and Skiff’s Summer Concert Series, having played the LaFayette venue in 2022, too.

Bandmates Jonathan Russell, Charity Rose Thielen, Chris Zasche, Kenny Hensley, Tyler Williams joined Gervais for a 20-song set that began with “All We Ever Knew” as the sun was starting to slip behind the rows of apple trees.

A few children in the crowd hopped onto their parents’ shoulders, dancing and even eliciting a shout-out from the band. Their second song, “Don’t Show Your Weakness,” brought out two band members’ daughters with ear protection muffs to dance.

As dusk settled in, the stage light designs artfully draped the band in red, blue, yellow and purple hues. The light fixtures changed depending on the mood of each song. The setlist alternated between the band’s earlier music like “Lost in My Mind” and more recent tunes like “Missed Connection” and “Let’s Be Still,” which had everyone’s phone flashlights swaying by the end.

Band members incorporated percussion instruments like the tambourine and maracas for some songs, including “Ghosts.” Thielen’s violin solo in “Down in the Valley” warranted cheers and the crowd joined in to sing the last verse.

Photo by Julia Carden

Violinist and vocalist Charity Rose Thielen plays at the Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards on Wednesday night.

The Head And The Heart acknowledged two fans, Shannon and Melissa, who call themselves the “Blue Crew” and often bring the band baked goods. Gervais led the singing of “Happy Birthday” to Shannon, as well as congratulating a bride-to-be in the audience. 

The final three songs built up anticipation for fans waiting for “Rivers and Roads,” a song about growing up and moving away. Although the song debuted in 2011, many fans have heard it more recently on TikTok or in the season four finale of New Girl.

As fans raised their phones to record, a hush fell over Beak & Skiff as Gervais, Russell and Thielen were illuminated in white spotlights for the song’s opening lines: “A year from now we’ll all be gone / All our friends will move away.”

More than a dozen years since this song’s release, the lyrics’ power was not lost on the thousands of fans who showed up to the Wednesday night concert in Lafayette. Gervais’ description of the concert as being in a “beautiful place with beautiful people” brightened what could have been a stormy night.

Phosphorescent, the stage name for Matthew Houck, opened the evening of indie-folk. As the Alabama singer-songwriter and his four-piece band took the stage, people gathered on the lawn, nodding their heads, sharing food and taking photos.

Photo by Julia Carden

Alabama singer-songwriter Matthew Houck, known as Phosphorescent, opens for The Head and The Heart on Wednesday night.

Phosphorescent’s song “Revelator,” the title track of his most recent album, drew attendees closer to the stage to dance and sing along. As Phosphorescent finished his set, members of The Head and The Heart played a game of a catch behind the stage settling into the comforts of an apple orchard just like home.