Dar Williams dazzles packed Free At Noon in Ardmore

Ardmore Music Hall was bursting at the seams Friday, as fans of singer-songwriter Dar Williams packed into the Main Line venue to catch her Free At Noon performance. Williams played an eight-song set to those tuning in on WXPN, but the sold-out audience was treated to an off-air encore song as well.

She opened with a rockin’ song that we just barely caught, then went into “The Babysitter’s Here” from her debut 1994 album The Honesty Room. The crowd was sent back in time as Williams embraced the role of the song’s narrator, a child being watched over by the best babysitter ever and all the love and heartbreak that entails.

Williams jumped ahead 31 years and played “Hummingbird Highway” from her latest album of the same name. Laying down a galloping strumming pattern, Williams masterfully evoked the song’s themes of returning to a welcoming home. The song’s story comes from the perspective of a child who has colorful and “somewhat dysfunctional” parents, she said.

In a bit of a reversal, she then played “The One Who Knows” from 2003’s The Beauty of the Rain, which is told from a parent’s perspective. She said the song is partially inspired by crowds at Philly-area shows.

Before playing “Tu Sais Le Printemps” from the new record, Williams shouted out WXPN, saying our playing her music in the mid ’90s was integral in her finding a wider audience and greater success. She joked that success led her to earning cash and that her mother suspected her of being a “secret drug dealer” due to her stash of bills.

“Tu Sais Le Printemps” translates to “You Know the Spring” and has a joie de vive that is only achievable by tapping into Parisian motifs and chord progressions. It should be noted Williams has impeccable French pronunciation both live and on the album.

She played “I Am the One Who Will Remember Everything” from 2012’s In The Time of Gods, telling the crowd the song was dedicated the people who defend all things that bring children joy. The song is melancholic, mourning the lost innocence of children living in war-ravaged areas. Much of that album, she said, was made close by in Conshohocken with the help of Rob Hyman of The Hooters.

“What Bird Did You See” came next. The song was written after Williams heard a series of stories from people who had recently lost loved ones and felt their presence in birds passing by them. Williams showed off her guitar skills on this song, plucking out arpeggiated chords while singing about finding solace and reassurance in remembering the deceased through nature.

Her final song was “As Cool as I Am” from her ’96 album Mortal City. The crowd was belting out the powerful chorus “I will not be afraid of women.” Williams noted over the years she’s noticed deeper voices singing those lines, leading her to believe men are evolving (for the better).

She ended her set for the broadcast audience, then came out for one last song just for those who made it to Ardmore Music Hall. The performance ended with “Iowa (Traveling, Pt. 3) from Mortal City. Once again, the crowd was singing as one along with the song, namely it’s anthemic chorus. To put the proverbial cherry on top of the show, the venue’s disco ball lit up, drenching the room in a glittery glow to send fans out into the world on a darn near perfect day in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Don’t miss Williams at River Roads Music Festival on June 27 at King of Prussia’s Heuser Park, where she will be joined by 10,000 Maniacs, Billy Bragg, Shawn Colvin, and more.