Washington, DC’s Anthem hosted a packed house Sunday night, welcoming British singer-songwriter David Gray on a cold winter evening. Touring in support of his latest album, Dear Life, Gray has singer-songwriter Sierra Spirit along as support.
Gray and his sizable backing band took the Anthem’s stage in near darkness. The venue’s ambient lighting—including lights around the concession stands and extra stage lighting—were turned off in order eliminate distractions for the artists and create a more intimate setting for the seated audience.
Dear Life is Gray’s thirteenth studio album, having released his very first back in 1993 (A Century Ends). However, it was 1998’s White Ladder (rereleased in 2000) which put Gray on the map. That album featured his now-trademark “folktronic” sound and the hugely successful single “Babylon.”
Sunday’s show featured “Babylon” as the final performance of the night—Gray packed a whopping 23 songs into the set list. Drawing from several albums including A New Day at Midnight and Life in Slow Motion, much of the material came from his breakthrough album White Ladder. Gray also threw in a few covers in to mix things up and get the crowd up and dancing. While they were mostly shrouded in shadows, Gray’s backing band was top shelf—tight and highly skilled, they worked to keep the crowd on its feet.
It worked. The delighted audience sang along throughout Gray’s set. It was a relaxed evening but joyful all the same, punctuated with Gray’s personal reflections.
As alluded to earlier, the night started with a performance by Sierra Spirit. Sierra Spirit is a project by Native American singer-songwriter Sierra Spirit Kihega. From Tulsa, Oklahoma, her music draws upon the universal themes of growing up. But these themes are addressed through the lived experiences of Spirit’s roots in the Otis-Missouria and Keetoowah Cherokee tribes. The result is a melancholic, guitar-driven sound underneath Spirit’s dreamy voice. She’s released a handful of singles and an EP, 2024’s “Coin Toss.”
The US leg of the Past and Present Tour continues through the end of February, wrapping up in Nashville on the 24th. From there, it’s on to the UK and the rest of Europe for an extensive spring tour.
SIERRA SPIRIT
