Lucy Dacus brought a string quartet & bubbles to Central Park show w/ Hop Along (pics, video, setlists)

Lucy Dacus last played NYC's Central Park in 2019, when she was supporting Mitski there; on Thursday night (7/21), she returned to headline the venue. It was a scorchingly hot afternoon -- security wielded a hose to shower the crowd waiting by the stage with water -- but as evening fell, enough of a breeze kicked up to make the temperature at least semi-tolerable, and when Lucy went on (following an early pause to get help for someone in the crowd who didn't feel well) her gorgeous voice and songs acted as a balm, transporting us away from the heat. To sweeten the deal, Lucy brought along a string quartet to join she and her band on most songs, and they sounded fantastic, amplifying the emotional crescendos of her narratives. The stage was thoughtfully set with a screen that displayed some actual home videos between sets, a couch for the string players, and machines that dispersed bubbles at just the right moments.

Lucy's set included her new cover of Cher's "Believe," as well as a rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark," in honor of her dad being in the audience. She also played plenty of highlights from last year's excellent Home Video, including "Triple Dog Dare," "Thumbs," "VBS," "Going Going Gone" (which she brought out openers Hop Along for), "Hot & Heavy," and more, along with a good selection of older favorites, like "Night Shift," "I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore," and "Addictions." She closed the night by debuting a brand new song, which she asked people not to film. It sounded lovely; hopefully we'll be hearing it more soon.

Hop Along opened the show, and they sounded totally on point covering Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and playing a selection of songs from their last few albums, including "The Knock," "The Fox in Motion," "Sister Cities," and "How Simple." They also included older favorites "Tibetan Pop Stars" and "Kids on the Boardwalk."

See pictures from the whole show, along with a couple of fan-taken videos, and both Lucy and Hop Along's setlists, below.

Get Lucy Dacus and Hop Along albums on vinyl in the BV store.

SETLIST: LUCY DACUS @ SUMMERSTAGE IN CENTRAL PARK, 7/21/2022
Triple Dog Dare
Addictions
Hot & Heavy
Christine
Nonbeliever
Body to Flame
VBS
Partner in Crime
Brando
Thumbs
Going Going Gone
I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore
Kissing Lessons
Believe (Cher cover)
Night Shift

Encore:
Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover)
New song

SETLIST: HOP ALONG @ SUMMERSTAGE IN CENTRAL PARK, 7/21/2022
The Fox in Motion
Kids on the Boardwalk
Somewhere a Judge
The Knock
I Saw My Twin
Prior Things
Well-Dressed
Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears cover)
What the Writer Meant
Sister Cities
Tibetan Pop Stars
How Simple