Lucy Dacus filled the Civic Theater with home videos, a luscious voice and her commanding presence. As an alternative and indie artist, Dacus focused on her alt and pop influences, bringing a powerful performance to the intimate venue. While switching between her acoustic and electric guitars, Dacus rotated between confessional ballads about religion, livelier songs — such as “I Don’t Want to Be Funny Anymore” — and a delightful cover of Cher’s “Believe.”

Dacus floated around the stage, dancing around the microphone cord and sipping from her hot mug of tea. She remained perched at her mic, singing with a vulnerable beauty while accompanied by projections of her childhood home videos. Between songs, Dacus posed questions, such as “Who here went to church sleepaway camp?” and shook her head at the response, connecting with the audience through the shared experience. While introducing another song, Dacus asked, “How many people here tonight are gay?” Hands shot up with proud whoops and gleeful surprise. The following song, “Kissing Lessons,” tackled exploring sexuality as a child without understanding the implications. Many of her songs embody battles between childhood Christianity and being a part of the LGBTQ+ community, seen through longing songs like “Christine.” 

The opener, Crooks and Nannies, started the show with an upbeat alternative sound which was highlighted in songs like “Crying in the Dog Park,” where singer Madeline Rafter got to unleash their voice while singing about their intense desire for control. The band invited the audience to express their collective rage by screaming in the middle of their set, filling up the entire theater. Crooks and Nannies revisited the stage to share the mic and dance with Dacus during a group performance of “Going Going Gone.” Dacus said the audience needed to cheer up after the particularly heart-wrenching track, “Thumbs.” 

The show was a part of Dacus’ “Home Video” tour for her third album, “Home Video. ” After receiving attention for her debut album, “No Burden,” Dacus signed with Matador Records and released her critically acclaimed album, “Historian,” in 2018. Dacus is also a part of Boygenius with fellow singers Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. The indie supergroup released an EP together in 2018 in addition to their own discographies. However, Dacus has reached success on her own. With 1.9 million monthly listeners and 54 million streams on her song “Night Shifts” on Spotify, Dacus has all the makings of an indie icon.