Blab Music
Lucy Dacus Debuts Planting Tomatoes Video in New York, Blending Richmond Roots with Indie Storytelling
On a rain‑slick evening in Manhattan’s East Village, Lucy Dacus turned the historic Village East by Angelika into a stage for home‑grown storytelling. The 1926 Moorish‑revival theater, now run by the Angelika Film Center, hosted a sold‑out premiere of the music video for her single “Planting Tomatoes” from July 8, 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The event paired the screening with a live Q&A and a complimentary showing of the 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude.
The video itself is a self‑directed montage that never strays far from Dacus’s hometown of Richmond, Virginia. According to her official website, the footage cuts between iconic local landmarks—Hollywood Cemetery, Dogwood Dell—and everyday scenes: her father, a pedicab driver, wheels a cab; children from the SPARC performing arts program dance; family members gather for quiet moments. The contrast between the cemetery’s stillness and the frenetic energy of the children’s movement creates a visual dialogue between melancholy and optimism.
Dacus explained during the Q&A that directing the clip allowed her to embed personal references that might have been diluted in a commercial shoot. She emphasized that while the screening was streamed online for fans who could not attend in person, many chose the live experience in the historic theater. The discussion touched on the role of family and community in her songwriting, noting that her father’s real‑life occupation directly inspired the pedicab scenes.
The choice of venue added another layer of history to the evening. The Angelika Film Center, which reopened the theater in 1991, has hosted a variety of film and music events since then. The rain‑soaked streets outside mirrored the emotional tone that Dacus described, adding a tangible atmosphere to the night.
After the video and Q&A, attendees were treated to a free screening of Harold and Maude, a film that explores love, mortality, and living fully. The film’s inclusion was described as a thematic complement to the video’s blend of hope and reflection.
The “Planting Tomatoes” video, released on all streaming platforms following an initial limited‑edition vinyl launch in April 2026, has already accumulated millions of views on YouTube, where it was uploaded on July 7. While the exact streaming numbers are not publicly disclosed, Dacus’s social media posts indicate strong engagement.
Dacus is currently touring in support of her fourth studio album, Forever Is a Feeling, which was released in 2025. Upcoming dates include Kingston, New York on July 22; North Adams, Massachusetts on July 23; and Asbury Park, New Jersey on July 25. Ticket sales for these shows are managed through the artist’s official website.
The event was organized by Dacus’s management team in partnership with the Angelika Film Center. According to the official announcement, the screening was sold out, and the Q&A session was limited to a small audience to maintain an intimate atmosphere.
While the video’s release has not yet impacted chart positions, the single’s inclusion on streaming playlists and its visual storytelling have been noted by music critics as a continuation of Dacus’s reputation for narrative depth. Her previous work, including the 2021 album Home Video and the 2018 release Historian, has established her as a prominent voice in indie rock.
In summary, Lucy Dacus’s July 8 premiere of “Planting Tomatoes” combined a self‑directed video that celebrates her Richmond roots with a live Q&A and a nostalgic film screening. The event highlighted the artist’s commitment to personal storytelling and community engagement, and it set the stage for the remainder of her Forever Is a Feeling tour.
The video itself is a self‑directed montage that never strays far from Dacus’s hometown of Richmond, Virginia. According to her official website, the footage cuts between iconic local landmarks—Hollywood Cemetery, Dogwood Dell—and everyday scenes: her father, a pedicab driver, wheels a cab; children from the SPARC performing arts program dance; family members gather for quiet moments. The contrast between the cemetery’s stillness and the frenetic energy of the children’s movement creates a visual dialogue between melancholy and optimism.
Dacus explained during the Q&A that directing the clip allowed her to embed personal references that might have been diluted in a commercial shoot. She emphasized that while the screening was streamed online for fans who could not attend in person, many chose the live experience in the historic theater. The discussion touched on the role of family and community in her songwriting, noting that her father’s real‑life occupation directly inspired the pedicab scenes.
The choice of venue added another layer of history to the evening. The Angelika Film Center, which reopened the theater in 1991, has hosted a variety of film and music events since then. The rain‑soaked streets outside mirrored the emotional tone that Dacus described, adding a tangible atmosphere to the night.
After the video and Q&A, attendees were treated to a free screening of Harold and Maude, a film that explores love, mortality, and living fully. The film’s inclusion was described as a thematic complement to the video’s blend of hope and reflection.
The “Planting Tomatoes” video, released on all streaming platforms following an initial limited‑edition vinyl launch in April 2026, has already accumulated millions of views on YouTube, where it was uploaded on July 7. While the exact streaming numbers are not publicly disclosed, Dacus’s social media posts indicate strong engagement.
Dacus is currently touring in support of her fourth studio album, Forever Is a Feeling, which was released in 2025. Upcoming dates include Kingston, New York on July 22; North Adams, Massachusetts on July 23; and Asbury Park, New Jersey on July 25. Ticket sales for these shows are managed through the artist’s official website.
The event was organized by Dacus’s management team in partnership with the Angelika Film Center. According to the official announcement, the screening was sold out, and the Q&A session was limited to a small audience to maintain an intimate atmosphere.
While the video’s release has not yet impacted chart positions, the single’s inclusion on streaming playlists and its visual storytelling have been noted by music critics as a continuation of Dacus’s reputation for narrative depth. Her previous work, including the 2021 album Home Video and the 2018 release Historian, has established her as a prominent voice in indie rock.
In summary, Lucy Dacus’s July 8 premiere of “Planting Tomatoes” combined a self‑directed video that celebrates her Richmond roots with a live Q&A and a nostalgic film screening. The event highlighted the artist’s commitment to personal storytelling and community engagement, and it set the stage for the remainder of her Forever Is a Feeling tour.
