The Head and the Heart: Forest Hills Stadium 2018

'Summer of FUV' artist The Head and the Heart (photo by Gus Philippas/WFUV)
by Eric Holland | 06/10/2018 | 1:30pm

'Summer of FUV' artist The Head and the Heart (photo by Gus Philippas/WFUV)

Almost a decade into a career that began at open mic nights in Seattle, The Head and the Heart rolled into Forest Hills Stadium. The band has a long history with WFUV, which includes playing our 2011 Holiday Cheer for FUV show at the Beacon Theatre, only months after their debut album came out.

Touring as a six-piece unit, they cherry-picked songs from their three albums to create a set that showcased their strong songwriting and beautiful melodies, elevated by the exquisite, affecting vocal harmonies of guitarist Jonathan Russell, guitarist Matt Gervais and multi-instrumentalist Charity Rose Thielen, whose fiddle is the group’s secret sauce.

As more acoustic based folk-influenced material gave way to percussion-driven foot stompers, the rising energy of the crowd matched the energy emanating from the stage created the kind of communion felt when live music is at its best. Hits like "Lost In My Mind," "Down In The Valley," "Rhythm & Blues," and "All We Ever Knew" became festive sing-alongs, and a pair of new songs, "Backwards Breathing" and "Living Mirage," hinted at future direction.

Onstage banter included a reference to skinny-dipping in Lake Michigan after a recent show with new pals and tour mates Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats. When the time the Head and the Heart said goodnight came too quickly, we were happy to have them reappear at the end of Rateliff's set for a night cap cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City."

Listen to the band's set below, and check out our full schedule of Summer of FUV broadcasts to come.

Setlist

  • All We Ever Knew
  • City of Angels
  • Ghosts
  • Rhythm & Blues
  • Another Story
  • Let’s Be Still
  • Lost In My Mind
  • Winter Song
  • Heaven Go Easy On Me
  • Sounds Like Hallelujah
  • Down In The Valley
  • Backwards Breathing
  • Living Mirage
  • Shake
  • Rivers and Roads

[recorded: 6/9/18]

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