Sharon Van Etten @ Union Transfer.

Text and images by Dana Ricci.

Sharon Van Etten recently got some attention in Philadelphia when she played a free at noon show at World Café Live and at Johnny Brenda’s back in February. So it’s no surprise that when she made a stop at the Union Transfer on Thursday, we were happy to have her back.

The Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter and her band had concert-goers in a trance as they played Van Etten’s introspective folk melodies. She won the crowd over with many songs off her 2012 album, Tramp, as well as songs from her earlier albums, including “Peace Signs” off her 2010 album Epic. To the audience’s delight, she announced that this song was recorded in Philadelphia.

But that wasn’t the only track she recorded here. In 2010 Van Etten recorded her single “Love More” at the Fishtown studio of producer and co-founder of Weathervane Music, Brian McTear.

After Pitchfork reviewed the song and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver covered it and sent McTear the YouTube video, Van Etten’s career took off. She played with The Antlers, opening for The National at Radio City Music Hall, released an album in October of that year and toured the world. So it was only appropriate that as her final song during her encore performance, Van Etten sat down at the harmonium and said she was ending it right where it all began before delving into a heartfelt “Love More.”

Throughout her performance, Van Etten’s voice – graceful with just enough rasp – was frequently accompanied in perfect harmony by her backup vocalist and keyboardist, Heather Woods Broderick. The voices combined with the rest of the band produced a pristine sound that left spectators swaying in awe with the music.

Almost as memorable as the music, Van Etten’s personality came out during between-song banter. Quite a contrast from her thoughtful, occasionally dark tunes, Van Etten has quite the sense of humor. She cheered back at the crowd and said things like, “Sometimes it’s fun to scream for no reason!” and “Do these lights make my expressions really exaggerated? Do my eyebrows cast shadows on the walls?…That’s probably ridiculous.”

She opened her eyes a little wider as she crouched down on the floor to take another swig of her beer and then said, “Okay, don’t let me talk any more.”

She jokingly referred to herself as a “professional” when she would do things like misplace her guitar pick. She was real, down to earth and hilarious. After the show I wanted to be her friend.

Van Etten also created this close-knit atmosphere at a large venue by interacting with the crowd as well as acknowledging her family and friends in attendance. She responded to a yell from one of her cousins, she greeted friends and she even announced that her father was at the show. She didn’t get to spend time with him on Father’s Day, so she let him request a song to make up for it. To her surprise, he requested that she play “Tell Me,” which she performed beautifully and without the accompaniment of her band.

Cheering and a surprisingly-synchronized slow clap brought Van Etten back to the stage for an encore – though she joked that she only came out because she didn’t want to pay the stage fee. And as the final notes of “Love More” rang out the entire room seemed to hold still, hanging on to those final moments before Van Etten and her band exited the stage.