Hamilton Leithauser w/ Kevin Morby and Jess Williamson
Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA
11.03.2021

After performing adoringly with his family during the shutdown the pandemic created, Hamilton Leithauser took his music on the road. In support of his second album, “The Loves of Your Life” Leithauser created a fall mixer tour that is as ambitious as it is redeeming. Touring with Leithauser in support of the mixer was fellow musician Kevin Morby, who also has recent release, his album titled “Sundowner”.

Opener Jess Williamson started the show, albeit with a little mix-up from the venue. Listed online at 8pm, doors opened at 7pm and Williamson took to the stage at 7:30pm. While most folks were still in the lobby, those who trickled in were treated to her soulful vocals with a tender longing in her lyrics. Hailing from Texas originally, the L.A. transplant conveyed with her subtle Texan drawl her excitement to be touring again and to be back in Seattle. Seven years prior she had played the Tractor Tavern in Ballard and was in awe of the presence and grandeur the Moore Theatre encapsulates.

Kevin Morby took to the stage next. Wearing a tailored doubled breasted black suit adorned with “sundowner” artwork, Morby’s eclectic style adds to the aesthetic he portrays. Originally from Kansas, Morby’s music has been influenced from his time in New York to L.A. and back to Kansas where he resides with his partner: Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee fame. As Morby performed through his set he spoke fondly of Seattle and his time in the city. With his unique Fender Coronado II (a distinct semi hollow body, a throwback from the 70’s) Morby breezed through his well-known tracks from what is now becoming a prolific catalog. An intricate guitar solo/ harmony with the accompanying guitarist Cyrus Gengras served as a culmination of the set. When Morby began to introduce one his more popular songs, he characterized the story much like the tale went itself. Without directly revealing the name, Morby recounted performing at Barboza, another local venue almost ten years prior. During that performance he said he couldn’t remember the rhythm and lyrics and recalled the headliner was in the back hysterically laughing as he struggled through “Harlem River”. Bemused, Morby stated “here’s Harlem River.”

The man of the hour, Leithauser appeared from the back of the stage, seamless in transition that was in part to him and Morby both performing with the same backing band. No breakdown or set change need, Leithauser sauntered to the mic with a subtle wave. With his slicked back hair and sport coat, he took in the audience before him. He spoke about returning to D.C. during the pandemic and the change he experienced with his family, referencing how the environments he’s inhabiting influence his writing. Opening with “The Garbage Men” the intro track to his latest LP, his vocals reverberated in the cavernous theatre. After the first song, Leithauser recollected the first time he had performed at the Moore Theatre. He was opening for a band when he was in his early twenty’s and recalled as he came out and offered some banter, he looked down from the stage to see one patron standing still with his middle finger extended in the air, undeservingly at him. As he laughed it off, the man’s girlfriend tried to get him to stop with no avail. He continued to laugh as he imitated the man, still finding the whole ordeal amusing.

At this point, Jess Williamson appeared on stage in a beautiful floor length red dress. Taking the mic next to Leithauser she served as his harmony and backup vocalist. Performing tracks between his two albums (the aforementioned one above and his previous release, “I Had a Dream That You Were Mine”) Leithauser spoke affectionately about his songs. Where they came from and how he formulated his lyrics. This was most prevalent with his song, “The Father of the Bride” as he explained the father was the uninvited guest who gave a speech that only derailed as it progressed. Leithauser amusingly remembered seeing the couple at a later show, ostensibly unaware the song was in fact about them. When he began to play his track “1000 Times” he excitedly talked about how it had been recorded with a Celeste (a bell-piano that is as distinct as it is whimsical) and how it he had never played it live that way.

For the encore, both Morby and Williamson returned to the stage with Leithauser. They traded off covering each other’s songs therefore solidifying the fall mixer. Morby and Leithauser had recorded a new track together titled, “Virginia Beach”, an homage to an area they both spent time in. Although the song was new the show took place one day after a republican candidate had won the governorship in the state of Virginia. Both expressed their dismay at the recent election. Closing out the performance, the artists requested the house lights be brought up so they could see the crowds in the mezzanines. Here they dedicated Morby’s “Beautiful Strangers” affectionately to the audience members joining in unison of the familiar chorus, “carry on like some songbird, beautiful stranger”.

Photos and review by Matthew B. Thompson