Big Thief share the spotlight with Their hero Beverly Glenn-Copeland at their Calgary debut

Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Big Thief

For a band that has spent the past decade becoming one of indie rock’s most beloved and influential folk acts, Big Thief had somehow never played Calgary. Before Big Thief played a single note at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, they appeared onstage to ask the audience to listen, emerging not for their own set, but to introduce Beverly Glenn-Copeland. Adrianne Lenker heartwarmingly called the Canadian composer her “favourite artist on the planet” and gently asked the room to “please be quiet and enjoy the show.”

It was a small gesture, but an increasingly meaningful one. Earlier this year, Ethel Cain publicly called out audiences for talking through opening sets, arguing that “the show begins with the opener.” Here was Big Thief putting that philosophy into practice themselves, giving their support act the kind of introduction normally reserved for a headliner and Glenn-Copeland deserved every second of attention.

Opening with “Ever New,” the 82-year-old artist immediately transformed the cavernous Jubilee into something warm and intimate. Glenn-Copeland has been open about living with dementia, but he and his wife and creative partner Elizabeth have resisted framing this chapter of his life solely through loss. Instead, his recent work has emphasized creation, connection and the sustaining force of community. “Would you like to sing with us?” he asked during “Let Us Dance,” off the acclaimed Keyboard Fantasies, delighted when the audience obliged. “Oh goodie, that’s the good part.”

Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Beverly Glenn-Copeland

Soon the room became an instrument. People snapped their fingers, sang harmonies and, at one point, shook their keys together in a jangle like that of harmonizing wind chimes. Introducing “Greeny Feet,” Glenn-Copeland spoke about his and Elizabeth’s work with children and their desire to make young people feel included, before its playful whistles, snaps and “piggy toes” recalled the warmth of the children's programming that was itself part of his long Canadian career on Mr. Dressup and the CBC.

That playfulness sat naturally beside something much more profound. “Into the Circle,” written with Elizabeth, became a meditation on belonging and the strength found in community. Later came “Prince Caspian’s Dream,” whose central idea — “life is a part of love” — Glenn-Copeland explained had returned to him across 30 years before he finally felt mature enough to complete the lyrics to the song.

There were occasional distractions like conversations, people moving through rows and even the clatter of abandoned drink cups as people shuffled around, but overwhelmingly, Calgary accepted the invitation to participate. By the end, Glenn-Copeland was met with a standing ovation.

Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Beverly Glenn-Copeland

When Big Thief returned, Lenker didn't bother with a conventional hello. “Everyone give it up for Beverly Glenn-Copeland,” she said. “What a treat, to say the least.” Then she looked outward. “Woah, there are so many more people here than I realized.”

Lenker opened alone with solo songs “Promise Is a Pendulum” and “The Only Place,” before the rest of the band gradually entered a set that moved almost without interruption. There was little banter and virtually no dead air. Songs bled into one another, allowing the group's dynamic range to do the talking. The crowd perked up quite a bit by the time the band pulled out crowd favourite “Simulation Swarm”.

That restraint was perhaps most affecting during “Real House,” one of Lenker’s most intimate and revealing songs. The room became so still you could have heard a pen drop as she seemed to catalogue a life in vignettes: family, childhood, growing older, grief, and moments when you begin to understand yourself and the people who raised you differently.

Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Big Thief

Drummer James Krivchenia was particularly compelling in that his playing could become so restrained it almost disappeared beneath Lenker, only to turn physical when a song demanded it. That tension exploded during “Not,” where the evening's quietest instincts gave way to crashing drums, amplifier feedback and Lenker wrenching noise from her guitar in a reminder that one of indie rock's most celebrated songwriters can also absolutely shred.

The seated theatre held for much of the night, but “Vampire Empire” finally broke the spell. The Jubilee rose to its feet en masse and, once standing, largely stayed there. “Not” kept the temperature climbing before “Spud Infinity” sent Lenker dancing across the stage as she remarked on the sound of the wind. Even bassist Joshua Crumbly had dressed for the occasion in a Calgary Flames jersey.

For all the restraint between songs, Lenker returned repeatedly to one subject. After stopping to wish an audience member a happy birthday, she again spoke about Glenn-Copeland. Sharing a stage with him, she said, was “a dream come true,” calling him one of her “all-time heroes.”

Photo credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) - Big Thief

Lenker's writing often feels intensely interior and autobiographical: family, relationships, childhood, desire, grief, bodily experience, tiny memories, which we saw from their early roots in the band as they saved the encore for “Masterpiece” and “Paul” before eventually closing with “Incomprehensible.” Glenn-Copeland can be deeply personal too, but his writing often takes the personal and opens it outward into something communal, spiritual or universal. Perhaps that is what made the pairing feel so natural. For this tour, it shows that they meet somewhere in the middle — in a room full of people willing to listen.