Staff Editor on March 3rd, 2019

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Sharon Van Etten wrapped up the North American tour supporting her new album “Remind Me Tomorrow” with a powerful performance Friday night at the Theatre at Ace Hotel.

Forgoing her guitar for a majority of the set and dramatically lit from stage level, Van Etten and her shadows prowled the stage for most of the night, as she ran through 16 songs, including all 10 on the new album. While her voice displayed the wear and tear of having done 17 shows in about three weeks, she dug deep to inject the tunes with as much musicality as she had. (The next morning, she would postpone a scheduled appearance at the Grammy Museum because of her voice.)

While Van Etten, rocking a dark purple velvet suit, peppered the evening with humorous quips, her delivery of the songs was raw and vulnerable, especially on tunes such as “Seventeen,” “You Shadow” and “Comeback Kid.” Two-thirds of the way through the main set, she sat solo behind a keyboard, one single light beaming down on her, for a moving rendition of Sinead O’Connor’s “Black Boys on Mopeds,” a 1989 song whose haunting lyrics reflect the current state of affairs around the world.

“Remind Me Tomorrow,” which came out in January to deserved acclaim, was Van Etten’s first full-length in five years.

London singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya opened the night.

Setlist: Jupiter 4, Comeback Kid, No One’s Easy to Love, One Day, Tarifa, Memorial Day, You Shadow, Malibu, Hands, Black Boys on Mopeds (Sinead O’Connor), Seventeen, Every Time The Sun Comes Up, Stay. Encore: I Told You Everything, Serpents, Love More

Photos by Samantha Saturday