The Palace Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota, hosted indie-dream-pop band Japanese Breakfast on Tuesday for their Melancholy Tour.
Sharing music from their senior album “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women),” lead singer Michelle Zauner blended authentic life experiences and literary references with melancholic instrumentation, creating a track sure to evoke every emotion from listeners.
The March album carries the stories and emotions Zauner reflected upon during her travels and time living in her ancestral home of South Korea, following her mother’s death. The album explores feelings of yearning, wishing for the things we cannot have, and regret for the things we do.
The show opened with Ginger Root, an American band led by Comeron Lew, a multi-instrumentalist from California. As stated during their set, Lew describes their music as aggressive elevator soul. Their upbeat, alternative funk and Lew’s vibrant stage presence engaged the audience for the 40-minute set.
As Japanese Breakfast made their entrance, the stage was set with grand props of crashing waves at either wing and an open clam shell at center stage. Zauner entered the stage with a lantern she ceremoniously lit and placed at the front of the clam prop. With the assistance of lighting design, the band painted a picture with themselves and the audience within.
Long-time fan Leeza Kuznetsov was enthralled by the set design and how it emphasized various elements of the album.
“She makes every concern of this, somewhat larger theatre, seem so powerfully intimate. The set specifically ties together all of the referential elements of this album. I immediately see Japanese Breakfast as Venus in the Monticelli painting. She paints a picture so vividly,” Kuznetsov said.
Throughout the show, Zauner used the entire stage as she danced alongside audience members, sang directly to fans and offered witty commentary.
“This song is about being married to someone who has cried three times in his entire life,” Zauner said, immediately followed by “Picture Window,” one of the album’s top tracks.
Through all aspects of the show, from set design, stage presence, technical lighting and audience engagement, Japanese Breakfast created a unique experience separate from the original album.
“It comes together in a unique way that portrays a particular emotion without actually saying it. It’s not in the lyrics but in the song,” audience member Ram Guruprasad said.
The live performance added depth to the album’s already intricate emotional exploration. While the themes expressed are rooted in wistful loss, Zauner’s passionate performance showcased the contrasting emotions often felt in difficult times.
Melancholy became connection and introspection, a collective experience.
Japanese Breakfast took their final bow and left the stage to the sound of adoring fans cheering and thanking them for their time. What was left was the lit lantern initially brought on by Zauner, symbolic of the album and performance’s nature.
