I first wrote about St. Vincent in 2021. Specifically, that was when I acquired Daddy’s Home on vinyl. Such was my predilection for that album, I even paid to access her Down and Out Downtown concert online. Of course, as we all vividly remember, live-streaming was the only way to catch real-time performances then. Regaining normalcy still felt like a pipe dream. And, consequently, so did seeing her in the flesh. But, oh, what a difference three years make.

In early 2024, she released her seventh studio album, All Born Screaming. That, in turn, warranted a Spanish edition called Todos Nacen Gritando – her first non-English effort. It was a peculiar move to many, but, turns out, she has a vast Hispanic fanbase.  She’s now also back in Grammy radar, with four nods including Best Alternative Music Album, the very category she’s won twice.

Through it all, she didn’t come across as one who’d include the Philippines in a world tour. Or so I thought. Karpos Live had been cooking up something all along.

It wasn’t the smoothest start. Technical difficulties marred what could have been a relative breeze. So, attendees, including me and my college friend Troy, were stalled outside Alabang’s Filinvest Tent for at least two hours before finally being let in. And even inside, the long wait continued, as filler music blasted in between the last minute sound checks. Luckily, it was a forgiving crowd, even if the clock was already dangerously close to striking ten. And then, suddenly, the lights went out.

Before we knew it, there stood her silhouette, illuminated from behind, making her look like an alien coming in peace and, perhaps, even with the intent of kidnapping Richard Dreyfus, albeit 48 years late. It took her near-chants of the haunting “Reckless” to confirm who she is. Finally, the concert commenced, with the crowd hysterically chanting her real name, Annie.

As the backlights dimmed, she finally appeared in full view, channeling neither a futuristic cult leader nor an ill-fated 70s actress. For that matter, she looked nowhere near like any of her album covers. She was tripped down, looking low-key goth at best in her all-black ensemble. There were no backdrops or spare outfits, just the artist letting loose at her element. It couldn’t get more organic than that. And that’s more than enough.

Not all of my personal favorites made it into the set, not that I expected them to. It’s the All Born Screaming Tour, after all, and is not meant to be comprehensive. So, there was no “…At the Holiday Party”, no “Hang On Me”, and no “Rattlesnake”. 1/3 of the repertoire was comprised of her latest album. The rest of her 17-year discography shared the remainder. 

2017’s Masseduction was the second most represented album, despite the exclusion of its hit title track. After her other-worldly opening, she then picked up the pace, guitar now in hand, with “Fear the Future” and “Los Ageless”. The energy never ceased escalating, as she segued to Screaming’s latest single, “Big Time Nothing”. 

What followed was a succession of her classics. First was a disjointed take on “Marrow”, from 2009’s Actor, followed by “Dilettante”, from 2011’s Strange Mercy, where she crouched at the edge of the stage, much to the selfie-seekers’ delight. Up next was the Daddy’s Home opener, “Pay Your Way in Pain”, where she exibited their leg strength, before transitioning to “Digital Witness”, her 2014 self-titled album’s lone representative. It’s worth noting, though, that there would have one more: “Birth in Reverse” was performed in Seoul two nights prior, along with the Strange Mercy’s “Year of the Tiger”. One could only assume they were scrapped due to time constraints. After that quick throwback, it was back to the present with “Flea”, currently up for a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance. 

After a brief pause, she resumed with 2011’s “Cheerleader”, which culminated with drummer Mark Giuliana’s riveting solo. It was enough to amp up excitement for their latest album’s jarring first single, the Best Rock Song Grammy nominee “Broken Man”. At that point, one could almost swear she acted possessed, the way she threw her arms around like they had an unseen puppeteer and glided onstage with what looked like an over-caffeinated moonwalk. 

As Annie continued promoting Screaming with its foreboding opener “Hell is Near”, she took on a more noticeably solemn tone, especially with 2021’s “Candy Darling”, her eponymous ode to the icon she once impersonated.  

Technically, the gloomy 2017 ballad “New York” would have punctuated that set effectively. But what they did instead was an up-tempo, club-worthy remix to pave the way for an energetic pre-finale. After that split-second pre-“Sugarboy” crowd-surfing attempt, it was clear. The evening would end on a rowdy note, replete with impromptu autograph sand on-stage flirting with guitarist Charlotte Kemp Muhl. 

Completing that set was the promoted album’s title track and, of course, the tour’s namesake. The cheers continued to intensify through the reggae-infused beats – almost as if the evening was about to start. But, on the contrary, it was time for their curtain call. 

A slowed down take on Daddy’s Home’s “Somebody Like Me” served as the surprising encore, as she returned onstage alone to perform the track near-a capella. In contrast to her preceding histrionics, there she stood, stationary, with the spotlight fixed on her. It was an abrupt shift, given the pseudo-mosh pits that came before. But then again, it was also the appropriate bookend, given how the show began. 

All in all, it was, indeed, as intimate as a concert could get. With only half of the venue utilized, it allowed more room for engagement and, to a select few, even some up-close encounters. Much as detractors might pin it down on not enough tickets being sold, it could also only mean one thing, on the flip side. Everyone there was a fan. And not enough mishaps can undo the thrill that eventually followed.