First Aid Kit at the Beacon Theatre

In Enskede, Sweden, Klara Söderberg wrote her first song in 1999 when she was six years old. At age 12, she received a guitar as a Christmas present and quickly learned to play it. Older sister Johanna Söderberg sang with her sister first at home and then as buskers in the Stockholm metro and in front of liquor stores. They promoted their own country-folk songs along with several covers to radio stations and on social media. First Aid Kit became internationally known when a video of a cover of Fleet Foxes' "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" went viral. The sisters have since toured internationally and performed at numerous festivals. Johanna (vocals/bass) and Klara (vocals/guitar) are presently backed by Steve "Stebmo" Moore (keyboards, trombone), Melvin Duffy (pedal steel guitar), and Scott Simpson (drums). First Aid Kit's fourth album, Ruins, was released on January 19, 2018.

First Aid Kit concluded its tour with a sold-out performance at the Beacon Theatre, the band's largest headlining concert to date in the United States. Now in their mid-20s, the Söderberg sisters have matured beyond their folk platform to lead a full-fledged pop band, as their set exuberated in melodic hooks and an occasional hard-edged riff. Particularly in the early part of the set, the sisters' often synchronous vocal pairing recalled old-time country duets, and Duffy's pedal steel amplified the country arrangement, but the songs' bouncy and danceable rhythms modernized the sound into something much more encompassing. By the time First Aid Kit performed the angry commentary of "You Are the Problem Here" and a cover of Heart's "Crazy on You," the band was all-out rocking. To start the encore, however, the sisters revisited their folk roots as they gathered around a single microphone and started "Hem of Her Dress" accompanied only by Klara's acoustic guitar. Support act Van William was then invited on stage, and he performed "Revolution," a song from his album that featured vocal assistance from the Söderberg sisters. First Aid's overall performance was refreshingly sweet due to its bubbling chemistry of lilting, crooning vocal harmonies and soft, clean arrangements.

Visit First Aid Kit at www.firstaidkitband.com.

Setlist:

1. Rebel Heart
2. It's a Shame
3. King of the World
4. Postcard
5. Stay Gold
6. The Lion's Roar
7. You Are the Problem Here
8. To Live a Life
9. Ruins
10. Wolf
11. Crazy on You (Heart cover)
12. Fireworks
13. Emmylou
14. Nothing Has to Be True

Encore

1. Hem of Her Dress
2. Revolution (Van William cover, with Van William)
3. Master Pretender
4. My Silver Lining