Live Shows: Laura Stevenson and Oceanator, The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA 9/21/25

Sunday night was a rare completely stacked night for live shows in and around Boston. Of all of the entertainment options Sunday, I had to go with Laura Stevenson playing The Sinclair. I've been a huge fan for well over a decade, and it's been over twelve years since I was able to see her live (TT the Bear's way back in 2013). Luckily for me, I believe I made the correct choice, as the show was excellent and met the mood I needed.

Playing as a quartet for most of the show, Laura Stevenson took the stage at roughly 9:00 for a great set of songs. She repeatedly apologized for playing so many sad songs in a row, and at one point said there would be two in a row, and there ended up being five to six. But, the crowd of Laura Stevenson devotees in the audience knew what we were getting into, and we welcomed it. It's a special kind of artist that can play so many sad songs with a sense of joy, and who can make it pleasant for the crowd. Plus, Stevenson's fans may be the most respectful fans I've been in a crowd with in years. Even during the four songs she played solo, you could not hear a single peep from the crowd. In fact, the only talking I heard came briefly from backstage, and when was the last time you could say that?

Obviously an artist is going to focus on their most recent album, which isn't a problem when it's the excellent Late Great released back in June. The vast majority of Stevenson's set came from that album, with killer tracks such as "Honey" and "I Couldn't Sleep" played in Boston for the first time. Plus, she went back to "Runner," which is a personal favorite of mine. My only very minor complaint was that she didn't play anything off Sit Resist. It was a great set and show, but it would have been great to hear "Halloween Pts. 1 & 2" and "Master of Art," but I'm sure that fans that have seen her this decade were fine with skipping those classics.

Oceanator opened the show, and it was my first time seeing Elise Okusami's project live. Her band did not disappoint, and it was the perfect complement and foil for Laura Stevenson's set. Oceanator plays more of a punk and grunge style of music which worked well with Stevenson without being an obvious choice. It seemed to take a few songs for fans to adjust to the volume and energy, but there were plenty of Oceanator fans excited from the very beginning. Both Laura Stevenson and Oceanator are artists I truly need to make more of an effort to see next time they're in town.