When a musician puts something out that sounds completely different than anything they’ve ever done, sometimes fans can get upset. It’s not what they are used to. People dislike change. It’s uncomfortable. However, people grow. People change. Their tastes change. Influences, friends, locales. They all change. 

Polaroid Lovers, the latest album from Sarah Jarosz, steps away from the stripped-down, acoustic music that filled her first four albums. It’s filled with electric guitars, rock drum beats, and a slicker sound.

Jarosz and her bandmates rolled into York’s Appell Center a week into the Polaroid Lovers tour. 

One of my favorite things about concert photography is finding artists I hadn’t heard before and becoming a new fan. A case in point is The Ballroom Thieves, who supported Jarosz on this leg of the tour. 

The duo from “a little fishing town North of here, known as Boston,” consists of Calin Peters and Martin Early. With Peters playing what looked almost like a carbon fiber cello and Early with a Martin acoustic, the two captivated the audience with harmonies that only come from years of singing together. 

The four-time Grammy winner, Jarosz, took the stage with her band in front of a giant backdrop of Polaroid pictures. Were they pictures she took herself?

Starting off with four songs from the new album, with “Columbus & 89th” being the highlight for me. I’ve always been fascinated with New York City, and this song, to me, is Jarosz saying thank you and goodbye to New York after she moved to Nashville four years ago.

Toward the end of the set, a beautiful bluegrass version of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” that ended with Jarosz showing her world-class voice had the audience going crazy.

I absolutely love being a concert photographer, and nights like this are why I love it so much. A block away from my apartment, in a stunning theater, I get to discover a new favorite band and see a fantastic musician that I’ve been a fan of for a long time, and I get to do it as a job.

Pinch me.