HAIM
WAMU Theater // April 4th, 2018 // Seattle, WA
Photos and review by Rachael Dowd
Four years after playing to a sold out Seattle crowd at the historic Paramount Theater, HAIM returned to The Emerald City with a bit of a point to prove. Playing to their biggest Seattle crowd yet, the Haim sisters brought to life tracks from their latest album Something To Tell You and fan favorites from 2013’s Days Are Gone, in a sixteen song set list that showed off just how talented each of the sisters – Danielle, Este, and Alana – really are.
Opening up with “Falling,” a performance that included an epic introduction with drum solos from each of the sisters, it was inevitably clear within the first minute of their set that HAIM fans were in for a night they will remember for a long time.
Between the witty stage banter from Alana and Este Haim and performances of fan favorite tracks like “Forever,” “The Wire,” and “Want You Back,” each sister’s musicianship was able to shine through at different parts of the night.
Danielle Haim, though rather shy and quiet onstage, showcased guitar skills and vocal ability that any musician or passerby would envy. Particularly in “My Song 5,” Danielle took the track’s lead guitar riff to a whole new level onstage, elevating the song far past what is shown on Days Are Gone.
Although the youngest, Alana Haim played more instruments onstage than her other sisters, switching between guitar, keyboard, and drums while also singing backup and keeping the crowd’s energy up with constant interaction and prompting for them to join in and sing along on some songs’ key parts.
Offering the best “bass face” that rock music has ever seen and entertaining jokes that made the show feel like a stand up comedy act at some moments, Este Haim’s charisma, talent, and ability to captivate any person that listens to her brought a personal element to the show. Although playing in front of a couple thousand people, her personal stories like the “night of her life” she had in Seattle four years after meeting a group of girls in a bar made the room feel intimate, like we were all standing in a living room a few feet from them.
“Night So Long,” a song off of 2017’s Something To Tell You, was a particularly raw moment of the night that reminded everyone watching of just how powerful the sisters are when they come together. Stripped down with just a bass and guitar, their haunting vocals rang throughout the venue, their perfectly pitched and emotionally-laced harmonies sending chills down the spines of all in attendance.
Seattle’s show also brought out a lot of firsts for the Haim sisters, Danielle playing bass onstage for the first time during “The Boy Is Mine,” a Brandy & Monica cover that allowed for one of the most memorable moments of the night. With help from opening act Lizzo, Este Haim stepped away from her bass guitar and brought onstage a lucky fan from the crowd named Lexie. Sitting her down on a stool in the middle of the stage, Este and Lizzo altered the song lyrics to “that girl is mine,” and serenaded Lexie in front of the rowdy Seattle crowd.
The performance was not only the first time Danielle got a hold of Este’s bass onstage, something that Danielle said Este used to never let her do, but Este was able to take the stage front and center and sing her heart out, showcasing her strong vocals that fans have only gotten glimpses of in small verses on the band’s records.
Alana was also able to storm the stage for the solo vocal performance of “Found In Silence.” Not only was it the first time she has ever performed the song for a crowd, but she admitted that the song meant a lot to her and helped her through a lot of hard times. With her vocals ringing through the speakers, Alana’s emotionally-charged performance showed a different and vulnerable side to the HAIM member that is usually hiding behind an instrument or making a joke with one of her sisters.
It’s almost frustratingly annoying and unfair when you remember that HAIM is, in fact, made up of three sisters. Each one of them brings such sheer talent and energy into their performances that it is impossible for one of them to outshine one another, a quality that is probably why HAIM has been so successful since the release of Days Are Gone back in 2013.
Whether you are just now getting into their music or have been there since the beginning, HAIM offers a performance unlike anyone else in the genre today. If you have a ticket to one of their upcoming shows on this tour or are teetering with the idea of attending, expect a performance filled with nothing but sheer musicianship and good rock music that will leave you both envious and in awe of this group of sisters from sunny California.
