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When Lucy Dacus appeared on stage at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston on April 21 for her “Forever is a Feeling” tour, it was easy to assume that the indie rock superstar was a trick of the light. Before she took the stage, a thin, hazy fog enveloped the venue, a physical manifestation of the haze of anticipation hanging over the audience. A blinding light flashed toward the audience, and then Dacus emerged, backlit, and began an energetic rendition of “Hot and Heavy,” the lead single of her 2021 album, “Home Video.” Her unassuming red and navy blue polo sweater added an element of the ordinary to a show that seemed to transcend reality.

After her first song, Dacus pulled down the curtain to reveal several picture frames that housed a rotating collection of paintings and images to accompany each song. This set design was a continuation of the Renaissance-era motifs she introduced in the “Forever is a Feeling” album cover and the music video for its lead single, “Ankles.” Watching the pictures change was mesmerizing and following the story Dacus curated intensified the emotional effect of her music.

The beautiful set pieces only served to underscore Dacus’ luminous stage presence. She effortlessly maneuvered from the mellow “Big Deal” to a rock performance of “First Time.” Her unmistakable coolness was emphasized by her occasional extended electric guitar riffs. Unconventional lighting choices transformed the relationship between audience and performer, with the spotlight often facing the mass of people watching her. Her songs commanded a crowd: Her encore performances of “True Blue” and “Night Shift” captivated the audience and inspired tearful sing-a-longs.

This was what made watching Dacus so incredible: her ability to connect with her audience. When an audience member told Dacus that they loved her, she said she loved them too.

“Love can be something that you don't really understand,” she said.

This sentiment seemed to be exactly why a crowd gathered here: to hear Dacus sing love songs that articulated feelings they wouldn’t otherwise understand. Dacus indulged the audience in their curiosities, like in her introduction to the song “Triple Dog Dare.”

“Someone requested this so I wanted to make sure I play it,” she said.

Love underscored so many parts of the show. Dacus celebrated her band by projecting individual stylized portraits of her bandmates onto the picture frames. She celebrated her community by announcing that for every tour ticket sold, she would donate one dollar to support those affected by the Los Angeles fires. Even the opening acts showed love toward each other: Second opener Katie Gavin enlisted the help of the first opener, jasmine.4.t, in an emotional runthrough of “As Good As It Gets.”

And Dacus celebrated the audience by putting on a show for them. Before performing “Bullseye (with Hozier),” she invited Katie Gavin, outfitted with a fake beard, to sing Hozier’s lines. The result was a lot of fun for the performers and the audience. Even the weaker songs on “Forever is a Feeling” are almost redeemed by her live stylistic performances. What could have been a lackluster rendition of “Talk” enthralled the audience through a haunting extended vocal pause before the “Do I make you nervous or bored?” line in the chorus. The answer, like Dacus’ work, is complicated: yes and no.

Although she is often categorized as “sad indie girl” music, at this show, Lucy Dacus was anything but, proving herself to be a rockstar. On her “Forever is a Feeling” Tour, she’s magnetic and exhilarating even in her most intimate pieces. Live music at its best is just this: an authentic performance. Dacus delivers, somehow making MGM Music Hall feel like both a living room and a stadium full of adoring fans. If the devil is in the details of a concert, then love is in the emotional journey that the performer guides her audience through.

—Staff writer Khadijah A. Olufayo can be reached at khadijah.olufayo@thecrimson.com.