words by Patty Riek
photos by Jon Turner
Suki Waterhouse headlined the Stern Grove Festival on July 26, 2026. Hidden under black tarps, the slow reveal of her stage setting represented the show’s motifs. A giant disco ball heart (an anatomical depiction, not the stylized valentine type) bedecked with arrows sat atop a staircase. At the bottom of the staircase, piles of red flowers, also interspersed with arrows, adorned the stage. After a recorded version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” a ringing telephone leads to “If you are looking for love, stay on the line. If you are looking for trouble, stay on the line.” Suki Waterhouse made her entrance, arrow in hand, arching her back and moving her body to the heartbeat. Playing with and upending romance tropes was the theme of the afternoon as she worked her way through her hits including “Tiny Raisin,” “Back in Love,” “Jukebox” and so many more. Her first costume of a feather fringed flowy duster served Waterhouse’s chanteuse persona.
At one point, Waterhouse noted that the Stern Grove venue was “the coolest thing ever.” After the morning sound check she envisioned a small audience around the stage. Much to her delight, the grove, the hills, the nooks and crannies of Sigmond Stern Grove were full. Waterhouse even acknowledged the west meadow of “degenerates who came late.”
Her songs and messages resonated with the sun soaked crowd. And, Waterhouse offered some good advice: “Kiss the guy. Go on vacation. Life is short; make some moves!”
LA based Charlotte Lawrence opened the live music part of the afternoon. Mixing her soaring vocals with the crunchy guitar and percussion forward sound of her band, she worked through her own pieces such as “Better than This,” that focus on the perils of relationships. Channeling Dolores O’Riordan, Lawrence closed her set with a rousing sing-along (scream-along) of “Zombie.”
KEXP DJ Cheryl Waters kept the music flowing before and during the set. Melding old favorites and new hits, she had something for everyone in the multi-generational audience.
