Concerts, Music
Dec 5, 2021

She&Him Holiday Concert Review

She&Him includes Zooey Deschanel and M.Ward and they’re celebrating 10 years since the release of their first holiday album. Keeping it low key in their home town, the duo brought the holidays to LA as they kicked off a two night concert in DTLA’s Theater at the Ace Hotel.

She&Him deliver a whimsical tone, with deep earthy vocals to fans, live from down town LA’s historic theater at the Ace Hotel. The inside of the theater at the Ace Hotel was adorned with festive decor for the evening, from Christmas trees at both wings of the stage to trimmings, glitter, and garlands hung from microphone stands. Zooey’s vocals open the evening with soulful renditions of timeless Christmas songs. One of the first songs the duo played was Nat King Cole’s classic “The Christmas Song” a melody that has come in an array of names, and remixes. But Zooey’s deep breathy tone brings a timelessness to the jingle that most singers miss hitting the mark on. With a mix of their first Christmas album and the follow-up “Christmas Party” not an ear was left un-tuned for the holidays. Over nearly two hours, She & Him covered the likes of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and more.

The duo also sang the hotly debated “Baby it’s Cold Outside” with a preface, and a very Hollywood story in defense of the tune. The song was written by a married couple who were Hollywood song writers. Originally the song debuted at the couple’s annual Christmas party before gaining the popularity we know it has today. The song was never intended to offend and this is one of those cases where context is everything. M.Ward and Zooey Deschanel told the story, with laughs, asking the audience to give it, and their love for the song a chance. To be fair, it has always been a favorite of ours, and this story does feel like quite the nugget to bring to a party. In defense of “Baby it’s Cold Outside,” it’s a holiday classic with a very Hollywood back story. We’re glad She&Him decided to keep it on their playlist. On other songs, such as “Mele Kalikimaka” Zooey harmonized with her back-up singers bringing them front and center as they observed placing lei’s on one another, making sure to honor the Hawaiin tradition of not putting it over your own head. The majority of the set could be described as easy-listening, many of the songs had jazzy or a bluesy quality to them in their adaptation for She&Him giving new sounds to old classics. One thing to know about She & Him is that collectively they love the Beach Boys, and that love of the Beach Boys shined throughout the show. The impressive set list saw 30+ songs performed with a mix of new songs added into their holiday classics off of both of their Christmas albums. We can’t believe it’s already 10 years since the release of “A Very She&Him Christmas.” This is one concert we love to see year after year. It just feels like the perfect way to kick off the holidays, everytime.