Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory Unveil a New Era at The Salt Shed, Chicago

Sharon Van Etten’s return to the Chicago stage felt more like a rebirth than a routine tour stop. Performing under her newly minted moniker Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory, the singer-songwriter delivered a powerful, emotionally charged performance at The Salt Shed, marking a bold step into a darker, more collaborative soundscape ahead of her self-titled album’s release.

Her new band—Jorge Balbi (percussion), Devra Hoff (bass), and Teeny Lieberson (multi-instrumentalist)—proved more than just accompaniment. They were co-conspirators in a set that pulsed with intimacy and catharsis. The chemistry onstage was undeniable, the product of a new, jam-based writing process Van Etten recently embraced. That looseness brought a visceral, lived-in quality to even the quietest moments.

While the set leaned heavily on new material, longtime fans were treated to reimagined versions of past standouts. “Seventeen” burned slower and more mournfully, its youthful nostalgia now tempered by grown-up ache. “Every Time the Sun Comes Up” took on a haunted quality, stripped to its bare bones and rebuilt into something eerily tender.

Van Etten was warm and unguarded between songs, reflecting on creative risk, emotional vulnerability, and the challenge of finding new ways to connect—through music, through performance, through people. At one point, she paused to thank the crowd for being open to change. “This is a new chapter,” she said, “and it means the world that you're here for it.”

Photos by Steve Sym from Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theor performance at The Salt Shed in Chicago on May 9, 2025.