New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Review of Weyes Blood's Homecoming Show at Union Transfer in Philadelphia


By Al Nigrin

originally published: 03/01/2023


I finally got to see Weyes Blood play at a sold-out Union Transfer show in Philadelphia last night after three cancellations due to COVID. It was well worth the wait. Weyes Blood (whose name was derived from Flannery O’Connor’s astonishing and haunting novel Wise Blood) is Natalie Mering’s alter-ego where she channels her impressions of a world in crisis due to love lost, climate change and the pandemic.

Mering is a siren for the 21st century. Her voice is to die for. It glides, swoops, and swoons effortlessly and her key changes are smooth and uplifting. She played fourteen songs last evening. Eight songs are from her new album And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow and six from her landmark album Titanic Rising which was featured on many 2019 Top 10 lists including mine. Her set list hasn’t changed that much since she started her Holy Flux Tour in Europe in January 2023. Now she is making her way through the USA.

She opened with It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody which is the first track of And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow. Here is a video I shot of it on my iPhone 13 Pro:

The bass is a bit boomy in my recording but where I was standing (front row off to the left of center) gives you a nice view of Mering and her terrific band. Mering was dressed in all-white with white boots and a white cape that she would manipulate to great effect during various songs. She often would open her cape up and twirl around or hide her face in it like Bela Lugosi in Dracula. Her second song Children of the Empire seems to be an indictment of authoritarian countries where the children want to be liberated and unshackled from totalitarian rule.  

“Children of the empire know

Know that they're not free even though

They wanna be free

We know we're not free even though

We wanna be free.”




New Jersey Stage provides affordable advertising for the arts, click here for info



After finishing Something to Believe, another free-flowing song from Titanic Rising, Mering asked the crowd if they were into astrology and explained she was a Gemini but had Scorpio tendencies which she ultimately didn’t believe in. This banter with the crowd led into her next song Andromeda. The crowd roared after hearing the opening chords of this exquisitely beautiful song which features George Harrison-like slide guitar playing.

Perhaps the highlight of the evening for me was her live rendering of the song God Turn Me Into A Flower which featured a found-footage film by British filmmaker Adam Curtis which is in the vein of Bruce Conner’s work. The montage film, which played behind the band on the back wall, was accompanied by heavy organ music and electronic sounds of chirping birds. This music served as the foundation for Mering’s soaring voice in the song. Interestingly, Mering sings God Turn Me Into A Flower in almost total darkness and allows the film to take center stage.

Mering grew up in Bucks County, Pennyslvania so she shared many nostalgic moments with the audience. As she mentioned, this Philadelphia show was truly a “home coming.”

Weyes Blood continues its American tour tonight again in Philadelphia and thereafter in Brooklyn on Friday, March 3. Here is a copy of the set list  from last night's show. You can get more info on her music and tour here



All photos by Al Nigrin copyright 2023



Albert Gabriel Nigrin is an award-winning experimental media artist whose work has been screened throughout the world. He is also a Cinema Studies Lecturer at Rutgers University, and the Executive Director/Curator of the Rutgers Film Co-op/New Jersey Media Arts Center, Inc.




New Jersey Stage provides affordable advertising for the arts, click here for info




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

An

An Interview with Dan Kurtz of The New Deal

Formed in 1999, Toronto, Canada based trio The New Deal, is a pioneer in jam-based electronic music. The group was founded by remaining members Dan Kurtz (bass) and Jamie Shields (keys), along with Darren Shearer (drums) who left tND in 2011. Since its inception, tND has remained committed to its improvisational roots and has served as a model for other jamtronica bands bridging the gap between multiple music genres as well as the border between Canada and the United States.



Rick

Rick Springfield, John Waite, Wang Chung, and Paul Young to bring the "I Want My 80s Tour" to NJPAC

(NEWARK, NJ) -- Get ready to revive the spirit of the 1980s! Iconic rock star and eternal heartthrob Rick Springfield, a true emblem of the '80s music scene, is set to take the stage on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). Showtime is 7:00pm.



Young

Young the Giant to Play Tropicana Atlantic City

(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- Critically-acclaimed, multi-platinum selling band Young the Giant announces the In The Open 2025 Acoustic Tour. An intimate concert experience performed in beautiful spaces and venues around the country, the band will be supported by Cassandra Coleman (debut album produced by Jack Antonoff out June 6 via Warner) throughout. Locally, the tour comes to Tropicana Atlantic City on Saturday, July 12, 2025.



West

West Windsor Arts presents Summer Music and More: Channel Collective

(PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ) -- West Windsor Arts presents Channel Collective on Saturday, July 12, 2025 from 5:00pm to 7:30pm. Dan Kassel and Friends, featuring Gregg Merkle, will open the night. This is the first of three in their free summer concert series sponsored by Site Centers. Admission is free.



Asbury

Asbury Lanes presents There, There - A Tribute to Radiohead

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Asbury Lanes presents There, There on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 8:00pm. They are the premier Radiohead tribute act, playing songs from throughout the band's iconic multi-decade catalogue.



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Candlelight

Candlelight Concert: Tribute to Queen and The Beatles

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: music


 

Damn

Damn The Torpedoes - The Music of Tom Petty

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music


 

There,

There, There (A Tribute to Radiohead)

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 8:00pm
Asbury Lanes
209 4th Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 07712
category: music


 

Band

Band Infusion Musical Night by GG

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 7:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: music


 

Annual

Annual Jazz, Health and Food Truck Festival 2025

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 11:00am
Monte Irvin Orange Park
S center and South Harrison Street, Orange, NJ 07050
category: music