This past Monday, Sharon Van Etten pointed at me, looked me in the eye, got down on her knees, grabbed my hand and screamed with me to one of my favorite songs of all time, “Seventeen.” (Unfortunately, there is no footage due to the intimacy of the moment) This was the fifth time Bill (my grandad, whom I go to nearly every live show with) and I had seen Sharon live, this time at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro. The “Seventeen” moment has been a routine occurrence at Sharon Van Etten’s concerts for the past few years, leaving me jealous, yet incredibly happy for those who had that experience. Of course, I very much longed for that experience myself. And this time, it finally happened.

I’m still in shock. I honestly don’t know how I haven’t cried about it yet. I probably will tonight. I guess we’ll see. Sharon Van Etten always brings this level of connectivity to the room. So much so that Sharon joked that she should’ve just held a sleepover after the show, so she didn’t have to leave everybody. She used to be incredibly shy on stage (e.g., Jimmy Fallon, 2012), but now, in the comfort of her newly formed band, The Attachment Theory, she is unapologetically herself on stage and tries to make the audience feel as essential as possible to the show. I hate to be cheesy and say the shows just keep getting better, but it’s true.

The opening act was an artist by the name of Torres, someone who has been in the music industry for over a decade now, but has consistently had trouble getting the appreciation from critics and audiences she deserves. In 2018, she was dropped by her label 4AD after a string of great, but unsuccessful, releases. In 2024, she was left in the dust by indie darling, Julien Baker, after embarking on a tour for their duo country project “Send a Prayer My Way.” Baker left for mental health reasons, but it still proved unfortunate for Torres, considering this was the most prominent she’d ever been as an artist. With her hardships in mind, it was so charming to see her so happy to perform in front of a sold-out crowd, especially in the company of her longtime friend, Sharon Van Etten. The two first worked together back in 2014, when Sharon was a special guest for Torres’ appearance on the Weathervane Music docuseries “Shaking Through,” where Sharon made a name for herself just four years prior with her breakthrough track “Love More.” Nearly a decade later, this felt like a pretty full-circle moment. For only hearing of Torres, never actually listening to her music, she was pretty freakin’ fantastic.

Sharon Van Etten, too, was spectacular, of course. Her recent touring catalog has been full of newer tracks, being mostly more band-centric and danceable, maybe except for the finale song, “I Want You Here,” a near-seven-minute epic that grows and grows until the band lets go and rocks out until they decide they want to end the show. On the other hand, the band songs are pure joy played out on stage, and are great to hear in the tense political environment of today. However, Sharon and company still show their awareness of everything going on and give time to comment on it. “Somethin’ Ain’t Right” is probably the best example. A song with lyrics incredibly relevant to right now. “Do you believe in compassion for enemies? / Who is to blame when it falls to decay?”

While new songs filled most of the set, time was made for some Sharon Van Etten classics. One of Sharon’s most sing-along-worthy with “Every Time the Sun Comes Up,” a 2012 throwback with “Serpents,” and an ode to David Lynch with a song she performed on “Twin Peaks: The Return,” “Tarifa.” I would’ve loved some deeper cuts from her catalog, but all the songs chosen made for a pretty ecstatic night. Oh. How could I forget? “Seventeen!” The song that introduced me to Sharon Van Etten, and from that, a whole new world of musicians (Angel Olsen, Wye Oak). Now, she, a legend in my eyes, was holding my hand and screaming in my face, only to come back up to me at the end of the show, hand me a setlist and tell me that she loves me. I can’t believe I had to drive all the way back to Wilmington directly after. I’m a changed man. Let me soak in my bliss. I wish she was a bigger artist so I could actually brag about this.

At the show, Bill and I talked to literally everyone around us. Bonding over music, concerts, writing, college, all the things. Shoutout to my girl Eesha. It was her first Sharon Van Etten show, and she got a pretty fantastic introduction. I feel a bit bad that I made it a little about myself, but I believe this pre-show bonding allowed the moment to be more of a collective experience. I am so fortunate that my grandad and I share a passion for live music. It allows me to have some pretty unforgettable memories. Sharon Van Etten’s concert at Cat’s Cradle Monday night might be the most unforgettable yet. I told Bill, after this, we either need to go to every single Sharon Van Etten concert from now on, or never go to another one ever again. She might be tired of seeing my face in the crowd anyway. Maybe she thought that if she gave me this moment, she wouldn’t have to worry about me anymore.