Wednesday night, my Handsome Assistant and I went to go see Faun at Baltimore Soundstage. (I know — I mostly listen to folk metal, but I also enjoy a fair bit of regular Pagan folk, too. My Assistant is predominately into punk, but still lets me drag him along.)

By the time we left, I was sweaty and exhausted. We stopped at a Wawa on the way home, where I proceeded to eat half a tube of Pringles for dinner.
And the show was 1000% worth it.

For real. I know live music sounds completely different from studio recordings. Studio recording flattens things out (especially with the loudness wars), but I don’t think I’ve ever heard quite as dramatic a difference between a band’s studio recordings and their live performances as I did with Faun. Their melodies have a depth and complexity that I couldn’t really appreciate before, and oh man did it make for a fantastic show.

Even my Handsome Assistant, for whom Faun would not be his first choice, admitted that it was probably the best live show he’d heard.

Remember a few days ago, when I wrote about the chants workshop at the Mabon camping trip? Specifically, how the resonance of the chants themselves had profound impacts on the chanters? It was like that. Skin-tingling, heart-pumping, literally entrancing music.

The between song banter was also funny and clever. Oliver s. Tyr gave cultural and historical context for songs, interspersed with jokes and bits of mythology.

Singer Laura Fella didn’t appear on this tour. (She very recently had a baby, so congratulations to her and her family!) This meant that they weren’t able to perform some of their songs that rely on having both her and Adaya, so they played a few of their older songs instead.

The show closed with Hymn to Pan, which seemed like the perfect ending — I used to have it on a sleep/relaxation playlist, and I love listening to it to unwind. It was also beautiful to hear the entire venue sing the chorus. Literally the best choice of encore.

This was the first opportunity I’ve had to see Faun live, and I’m so happy I did. It was an incredible show. Even though getting there involved an hour’s drive each way after a long workday, both my Handsome Assistant and I left feeling happy and energized.

Some kind souls on Spotify have also made playlists of Faun’s 2024 setlist. While they aren’t completely accurate to what the band played Wednesday night, they’re still very good listening and a wonderful introduction to Faun’s work.