When I first saw Waxahatchee at the Miracle Theater in 2018, she was already one of her generation’s leading singer-songwriters, with a devoted cult following. She’s long had the respect and admiration of her fellow musicians, like Jason Isbell and Sheryl Crow, who she once opened for at Wolf Trap. On Friday night, she moved up to headline that same venue, supported by Tim Heidecker and Snail Mail, in what was one of the summer’s best shows.

Named after the Waxahatchee Creek near where she grew up in Alabama, Waxahatchee has been the main project of Katie Crutchfield since 2010. Over 14 years, it has from evolved from lo-fi acoustic solo recordings to a full-band sound that embraces elements of Americana; some of her songs included accompaniment from pedal steel guitar and banjo. On her 2020 album, the critically lauded St. Cloud, Crutchfield embraced her roots music influences, with a rerelease including covers of Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, and Lucinda Williams. She walked out to one of Parton’s songs at Wolf Trap on Sept. 6.

While I referenced Americana, it’s more accurate to refer to what Waxahatchee as alternative-country rock. While the difference is subtle, Americana artists tend to emerge from the country side of things, while alternative country-rockers come of the indie music scene, as Crutchfield did. 

As accomplished as she already was all those years ago, Waxahatchee’s work has gotten even stronger. Her latest album, this year’s Tiger’s Blood, is a high-water mark for her as an artist. Her songs have never been sharper, and her band complements her perfectly. Of note, MJ Lenderman, who also plays in the band Wednesday and has his own highly regarded solo work, plays lead guitar and sings harmonies, and he’s been out with Katie on this tour.

Crutchfield has also become a more proficient live performer, too. She absolutely commanded the stage, whether she was moving around with the mic, sitting and crooning, or strumming her guitar. Katie has real star quality, although I’m not sure how much bigger she can get. Her music is more challenging than most of what the mainstream, arena-level pop market trends toward. Her music has a sophistication that appeals more to a mature audience than it does to teens and young adults. These are all positives and reasons why I love her work, but it’s unfortunately true that that they’re also reasons why she may not be bound for playing stadiums, despite her incredible voice.

Wahatchee started off with the first two tracks from Tiger’s Blood, “3 Sisters” and “Evil Spawn.” Over the course of her set, she played the album in its entirety, with featured contributions from Lenderman on “Right Back At It,” “Burns Out At Midnight,” and the title cut, with which she finished her main set.

Watch the official music video for “Tiger’s Blood” by Waxahatchee on YouTube:

Prior to Tiger’s Blood, Katie, along with Jess Williamson, as the duo Plains, released I Walked With You A Ways in 2022. She played two of those songs Friday night: “Line of Sight” and “Hurricane.” Waxahatchee’s set also included many favorites from her back catalog: “Can’t Do Much,” “Hell,” “The Eye,” “Ruby Flats,” “Oxbow,” “Witches,” and “Lilacs.” She started an encore with a new song, “Much Ado About Nothing,” and finished the night with “365” and “Fire.”

Tim Heidecker and Snail Mail each get enough time to make an impression without seeming rushed. An actor, comedian, and writer in addition to being a musician, Heidecker may best be known for The Tim and Eric Awesome Show. Greeting the audience in a mock British accent, Heidecker kicked off his set with “Come Away With Me,” follow by “Property.” Before playing “Buddy,” he asked, “Do we have any senators here tonight?” A few people in the crowd cheered this; I’m not sure if we actually had any senators, or if these people just wanted to cheer. Tim introduced “Allentown, Pennsylvania,” named after his hometown, as “a song about growing up” and “finding the music you like.” He mentioned some of the terrible music that was around in the ’90s, name-checking Ratt and Bon Jovi.

“Get Back Down To Me,” he said, is “a sad country song,” adding “It’s a little embarrassing to play country music south of the Mason-Dixon line.” “I recently got into he mushrooms,” he said before playing “Trippin’ (Slippin).” He introduced “Dad of the Year” by needling the crowd with a comment about how being a dad is harder than being a mom. “Kern River,” he explained, “is a song about tubing.” He finished with “Why Am Like I This?” asking the crowd, “Has anyone looked in the mirror and said, ‘Why the fuck am I like this?'” (Heredity and environment, I thought.)

For the next act, Snail Mail, this was something close to a local show for the native of Ellicott City, Maryland. She told the audience her parents had their first date at Wolf Trap. Having begun her music career as a teenager, she’s already a fantastic guitarist. She didn’t say much during her set, letting her songs speak themselves. Her set included “Heat Wave,” “Pristine,” “Glory,” “Speaking Terms,” “Thinning,” “Headlock,” “Forever (Sailing),” and “Valentine.”

As good as Heidecker and Snail Mail were, this was really Waxahatchee’s show, and she definitely impressed. Her singing, stage presence and backing band were all top notch, and this was one of the best concerts I’ve seen this year.

Here are some photos of Waxahatchee performing at Wolf Trap on Sept. 6, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.

 

Here are some photos of Snail Mail performing at Wolf Trap on Sept. 6, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller. 

 

Here are some photos of Tim Heidecker performing at Wolf Trap on Sept. 6, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.