The Head and the Heart returns to CNY with indie energy in tow

With a backdrop of the pink and yellow-hued sunset skies overhead, The Head and the Heart had no difficulty choosing the perfect opening song for Friday’s show at Paper Mill Island. 

Combining a hodgepodge of musical instruments with catchy lyrics, the popular indie rock act launched into “After the Setting Sun” and did not let the spirited energy dwindle during the next 100 minutes as stars began to populate the night sky.

For the second summer in a row, The Head and the Heart were drawing in several thousand fans at a prime outdoor Syracuse venue and thankfully a comfortable evening.

As the line began to swell outside the Baldwinsville venue early Friday evening, fans were treated to a bonus when members of The Head and the Heart returning from soundcheck passed by in golf carts enthusiastically thanking them and slapping high-fives.  

Upstate New York singer Isaac French who lives near Rome opened the concert. While at times the larger stage seemed to swallow the lone French and his guitar, the audience grew more and more interested in the singer as his 30-minute set went on. 

French sang originals such as “False Goodbyes” and “Delaney’s Song (By Your Side)” along with a cover of Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season.” During the performance of his single “Drunk When I Wake Up,” French showcased his impressive vocal riffs, which led to applause and cheers from spectators mid-song.

The tenor of the evening shifted from French’s acoustic set to the rock-driven styling of second opener Windser, who performed “Head In The Clouds,” “Backyard” and more from his recently released debut album. 

Though the vocals were impressive, Windser really shone in the category of stage presence. The Los Angeles singer often flirted with members of the crowd, even going so far as to dedicate his song “Shut Up and Kiss Me” to a lucky lady named Stacy in the front row.

But as could be expected, the few thousand fans spread across the venue on blankets and food truck lines were quick to turn their attention to the stage as The Head and the Heart’s six members emerged through the thick fog machine smoke on stage.

During “Sounds Like Hallelujah,” guitarist Matt Gervais jumped into the small pit separating the stage from the audience to connect with fans, running up and down the barricade, welcoming fans with smiles as he drummed on his tambourine.

The audience instantly felt the energy in the air, jumping in as the band instructed them to sing and clap along during “All We Ever Know” and waving their flashlights in the air as the mood slowed down during “Let’s Be Still.”

While the band leaned into newer material from the recently released Aperture, toward the middle of the set, co-founder and lead vocalist Jonathan Russell told the audience they would be playing a song they hadn’t performed in close to 10 years before launching into “When I Fall Asleep.”

Photo by Blakesley Lee

The Head and The Heart perform at Paper Mill Island in Baldwinsville on Friday.

An hour into The Head and the Heart’s time onstage, it was apparent that almost everyone in the audience had risen from their blankets to stand, sway and jump around as the band performed fan favorites such as “Shake” and “Beg, Steal, Borrow.”

Fans of the headliners were made up of all ages, something Gervais noted when he mentioned “There is nothing like seeing some come kids who can’t be older than five singing about being in the back of a cop car” after performing “Cop Car.”

Once the band completed “Down in the Valley” and took their leave from the stage, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause, repeatedly calling for an encore.

The band returned to the stage to perform “Missed Connection” before briefly bringing their tour manager onstage to shout out that it was his birthday, asking the crowd to cheer for him.

“Arrow” became an even bigger celebration when a select group of fans were invited onto the stage to sing along and shake mini maracas to the beat of the song.

As they did at nearly every show including last year’s at Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards in Lafayette, The Head and the Heart wrapped their performance with their traditional closer “Rivers and Roads,” sending fans off a little sweaty from the summer heat but filled with memories of bright lights, cheering crowds and a night of great music.

“It feels like a big block party,” Russell told the audience during the encore. “Let’s do this again sometime.”