Indie-rock group HAIM had Stubb’s BBQ bumping last Tuesday for their “Sister, Sister, Sister” tour.
Story by Savannah Olson
Photos by Andrés Garcia
In this crazy world, sisterhood is more sacred than ever. Sisterhood goes beyond being blood-related — it’s a deep bond between all types of women and femmes who are related through friendship or camaraderie. On tour for their latest album Something to Tell You, HAIM captured the feeling of sisterhood that involves laughing, crying and confiding in each other. From the show’s opener, Lizzo, preaching self-love and empowerment, to the HAIM sisters telling stories of young love between songs, there was not a frowning face in the crowd.
Lizzo’s set was filled with motifs of self-love and self-acceptance.
As I walked into Stubb’s BBQ, Lizzo was starting the party at exactly 7:30 PM. Fashionably late wasn’t an option tonight. Raised in Houston, Lizzo is a body-positive hip-hop artist whose songs can drift between empowering, carefree and sexy. Starting off the show with her newest single “Fitness,” everyone in the crowd screamed a collective “Yaasss,” as she and her two dancers performed in-sync twerking and body-rolls. Behind them, on an elevated turntable platform, was Lizzo’s DJ, Sophie Eris, a bottle of energy who would rap along with Lizzo on a few of her songs or hand her a well-deserved vodka.
Before going into her song “Worship Me,” Lizzo took a break to interact with the crowd. “When y’all go home tonight, I want y’all to look in the mirror and say, ‘I love you.’” Pointing the mic at the crowd, Lizzo asked them what they were going to say once they went home that night. The warm air echoed with the shouts of “I love you,” transforming the concert space into a room of self-affirmation.
After taking us to church with her powerful voice, for what felt like only a few heavenly minutes, Lizzo showed the audience some moves to be incorporated into her next song, “Good As Hell.” Following “I do my hair toss,” Lizzo showed the crowd how to effortlessly toss their hair, shaking off the doubts and worries from a lame lover. One tall mustached audience member, got straight into the action, shaking his shaggy locks along with Lizzo’s lighthearted tunes. Finally, Lizzo said her goodbyes to Austin and HAIM was set to come on stage.
The “Sister, Sister, Sister” tour runs from April 3 to June 21 across the United States and Europe.
Under the orange and red stage lights, HAIM appeared like three angels with their song “Falling.” Each sister had their portion of the stage: Danielle on the far right with her guitar, Alana controlled the left with her keyboards and cowbell, and Este was dead center stage with her bass guitar. Neither one was more prominent than the other. Each sister provided their own electric energy that elevated the performance to a holy indie-rock experience.
The lights transformed from the sunset colors of late autumn to a deep pulsing red for the song “Little of Ya Love,” from their album, Something To Tell You. A song about desperately winning back the affections of a former lover were hidden beneath a funky beat.
HAIM consists of three sisters, Este, Danielle and Alana. Each contribute vocals and play multiple instruments.
As the venue began to clear after the show, I heard a woman ask in exasperation, “So are they sisters for real?” Maybe she was confused by HAIM’s tour being titled, “Sister, Sister, Sister,” or she was truly shocked that a single family could be so talented. Yet, there stood the HAIM sisters on the Stubb’s BBQ stage, playing on their guitars and keyboards zealously.
