Frances Quinlan treats Los Angeles crowd to a much-needed concert amid Coronavirus outbreak
Not even a global pandemic could stop Frances Quinlan from delivering a one-of-a-kind show to a group of Los Angeles concert goers this past week.
Fresh off the release of her debut solo album, Likewise, Frances Quinlan treated Los Angeles’ Pico Union Project to a much needed distraction after this past week’s events. Opening for Quinlan was North Carolina’s Mary Lattimore, a classically trained harpist who calmed us with every epic song her hands created. Lattimore is most well known for her collaborations with Kurt Vile and Steve Gunn, so it’s always a treat to see her get on stage and display her talents for an excited crowd. Her 40 minute set was the perfect introduction to what would be an extremely intimate set from Quinlan.
The crowd cheered and roared as Quinlan stepped on the stage, especially because up until showtime, we all honestly had no idea if the concert would still go on. According to Quinlan and Lattimore, they had both been in Big Sur without cell service and weren’t truly aware of the Coronavirus and its increased impact while they were disconnected. Regardless, the show went on and it instantly became a memorable one in my mind. Quinlan opened up the show with one of the standouts on Likewise, titled “Detroit Lake”. As soon as her voice ramped up, a calming effect whooshed over the crowd and we instantly fell under her endearing trance. “Piltdown Man”, “Rare Thing”, and “Now That I’m Back” entered the setlist right after and it instantly became clear that the tracks off her debut album translate even more beautifully live.
One of the best parts of the set, besides the music itself, was Quinlan’s extremely self-aware banter between songs. Every attendee knew the risk they were taking by standing in such close proximity to others. It only became more real when Quinlan talked to us like friends, instead of the usual rock star she is. The crowd and Quinlan went back and forth talking about what Netflix shows they’d be binging, what we’d all be doing holed up in our houses, and just general sentiments about how life may change. Needless to say, things got real very quick.
Quinlan brought us back to Earth with a stunning cover of Ted Hawkins’ “Sorry You’re Sick”, a track that most weren’t too familiar with, but overall enjoyed because anything sung by her would obviously sound wonderful. The rest of the set also featured “covers” from Quinlan’s main band, Hop Along. Those in attendance most likely know her from that band, so it was definitely a treat to hear stripped down versions of some of our favorite Hop Along songs. Mary Lattimore even got back on stage to back up Quinlan with a very necessary harp arrangement on those Hop Along covers.
The rest of the night ended beautifully with more music, more witty banter, and that much needed feeling of calm we all desperately needed. While the rest of Quinlan’s tour is at this point to be determined based on future cancellations/postponements, we still highly recommend visiting her website for updated tour dates. You can check out Frances Quinlan’s dates, music, and merch using this link here.
