St. Vincent Ignites Cleveland with Scaled-Back Rock Hall Performance
When Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, took the stage at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the night quickly became one of those shows that fans will be talking about for years. It wasn’t her most theatrical tour stop—there weren’t layers of costumes, elaborate stage sets, or over-the-top props—but what unfolded in that late-summer air was a performance that reminded everyone why she’s already considered a future Hall of Famer.
Also Read:Clark kicked things off with her wry humor, leaning into the classic “Hello, Cleveland!” line from This is Spinal Tap . She admitted it was a tired joke but couldn’t resist, especially since her gold guitar is set to appear in the upcoming Spinal Tap II . With that, the mood was set: lighthearted, playful, but still carrying the weight of an artist who has spent nearly two decades redefining what modern rock can sound like.
The setlist pulled deeply from her catalog, from the guitar-shredding intensity of “Los Ageless” to the dark pulse of “Birth in Reverse,” and even the aching tenderness of “New York.” At moments she toyed with her vocals, slipping in growls, yodels, and unexpected twists. Onstage, she writhed, crouched, and shredded her way through solos, often pushing her sound past the edges of genre. Rock, she reminded the crowd, wasn’t a category of music—it was a mindset. It was a way of life.
That philosophy seemed to frame the whole night. Without the usual theatrics of her past tours, the stripped-back staging put her raw skills front and center. The band fed off the crowd, giving Jason Faulkner room to trade sharp licks on “Sugarboy” and drummer Mark Guiliana the spotlight with an explosive “Cheerleader” outro. Every moment landed with precision, but also with a looseness that made the show feel alive, unpredictable, and communal.
St. Vincent’s connection to Cleveland and the Rock Hall runs deep. Her outfits have already been displayed in the museum, and she’s delivered unforgettable induction ceremony performances—from her haunting take on Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” to her wild collaboration with Nirvana. Fans and critics alike agree it’s only a matter of time before she’s inducted herself, maybe even on her first year of eligibility in 2031.
Her current tour, All Born Screaming , has been on the road for more than a year, but there was no sense of fatigue in her delivery. Songs like “Broken Man” and “Flea” carried a raw defiance, balancing perfectly against the more familiar anthems. The crowd responded with equal energy, singing along, moving as one, and catching every sudden twist she threw their way.
The encore closed with “Candy Darling,” performed unadorned, almost vulnerable. As midges swirled under the stage lights, Clark swatted them away with a grin before bowing out. And of course, she couldn’t resist one last parting line. With the same gusto she began with, she waved to the crowd and shouted, “Hello, Cleveland!”—a fitting farewell for a night where the city and the artist seemed perfectly in sync.
Read More:
0 Comments