Perri Takes the Lid Off

Christina Perri
Neptune Theatre, Seattle, Wa
05.24.14

The Head or Heart Tour came to the Neptune Theatre Saturday night, for the first of two shows Christina Perri is scheduled to perform. In front of a sold out crowd, Perri opened up to her Seattle fans and offered a fiery, emotional punch to accompany her works. She gave an exciting, insightful look into the meanings of some of her newer tracks, four of which we’ve listed below:

The Words
“You know that feeling when you fall in love with someone? That time between right after you tell them how you feel and right before you… fuck it all up? It usually lasts a few months, or a week, for people like me. This song is about the time in the middle when you’re in love.”

As she finished this prelude, her eyes became watery and her pauses most significant. While it may not be the most popular song on her album, it’s obvious that it possesses heavy personal meaning.

Butterflies
“This next song is about an asshole.” No beating around the bush here, Christina. As a fan yelled out for a different song, Christina replied, “No, that’s a different song, and a different asshole.” Continuing her motivation for Butterflies, “This song is about the people that play those stupid games, like when you text them and they take a whole day to text back. You’re just staring at your phone all day, waiting. You know, those people. This song is about the people you really like and you think they like you, but you soon learn that all they really like is someone to chase them. This song is about those people who never want to be caught, and it’s called Butterflies.”

Be My Forever
“This song is probably the happiest song I have ever written. I have happy moments… there have been a couple. I went into a writing session with this British guy, and it was at the worst possible time, because I had just fallen in love with someone. I knew I couldn’t write with all these good feelings. So I went into the writing session with him and said, ‘I can’t write today because I’m in love with someone and it’s really gross.’ After hearing this, Ed [Sheeran] dared me to write the song, and the one thing I couldn’t pass up after being raised by an Italian mother was a challenge. So I wrote that song, and even asked my red-headed British friend to sing it with me on the record. That song is Be My Forever.”

Jar of Hearts
“One thing that I have learned on this tour was that if I had not changed how I made decisions, back in 2010, I would not be as happy where I am today with my music. Back in 2010 I never said yes to anything. I never shared my songs with anyone, never talked with others about music, and never did any type of open mic night. I was absolutely afraid to share that with anyone. One day I was tired of being stuck with my life, so I finally said ‘yes’ to something I was afraid of doing. I met with one person to talk about music, which then led me to where I am today. My advice to everyone out in the crowd: when you are feeling stuck in your life, you need to do something that you’re afraid of to get unstuck.”

With one night in the books, the second show is fast on our heels. Tickets for the next evening are still available, so grab them quickly, as word will spread like wildfire about this amazing, intimate night.

*all quotes are closely paraphrased

(Set List):
Trust
Shot Me in the Heart
Run
Distance
Sea of Lovers
Burning Gold
The Words
Butterflies
Arms
Lollipos
Lonley Child
Be My Forever
Please Please
Human
I Believe

(Encore):
Penguins
Jar of Hearts
I Don’t Wanna Break

Photos and review by Logan Westom