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New Politics Setlist
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I attended the Go 96.3's first concert (dubbed Go Show #1) at the Aria in Minneapolis on Friday the 13th.
For the young radio station's very first show, this invite-only event was really well-organized. When you first check in at the Aria (which used to be called Theatre de la Jeune Lune) you were given a blue or white-lit translucent bracelet to indicate if you're VIP or regular guests. Outside of the stage were printers that automatically printed Instagram #goshow selfies and a few Audi cars on display, and, of course, the merch table. Inside near the stage area there were paid food and bar section for the ground floor guests (VIP area had free food and drinks).
While we waited for the bands to arrive and between stage setups, the DJs played a large selection of 90s alternative music.
Unlike standard concerts, Go 96.3 wanted everyone in the audience to tweet, instagram, facebook themselves at the show... as a result, everyone was taking selfies... including the DJ presenters.
First band on the bill was local act Stress Of Her Regard (named after a fantasy 1989 book by Tim Powers), who played a 30-minute set.
The trio (and sometime with extra guitar help from Davis) sang song from their 2015 debut self-titled EP, including "Class Warfare", a song that they dedicated to "people who buys apple $17,000 watches."
If you were hoping to buy their EP at the show, singer Ciaran Daly addressed, "Over there... there's the merch table, which we got none! So follow us on Spotify instead."
California's K.Flay was up next. They had a minimalistic setup, with only a computer (with keyboard) and a live drummer.
My favorite song on her set was "Wishing It Was You" (taken from her debut album Life as a Dog), which had the lyrics, "I'm sucking on a bottle of Jim Beam, wishing it was you." By the end of the song, she produced a full bottle of Jim Beam and took a gulp.
Although Banks was the closing band, based on her shorten set, the clear headliner with a full set (note even their setlist showed a two-song encore) was Denmark's New Politics. They were really high energy, and just watching them work the crowd, and improvised standing stool, you can tell that this wasn't their first rodeo. Also, choosing to cover fan-favorite Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was a good call on their part to get audience not familiar with their music to dance along.
Big highlight of their show was for "Fall Into These Arms", which singer David Boyd (shirtless since "Goodbye Copenhagen") climbed on the audience and continued to finish the song. Honestly, after that stunt, I really didn't think the Danish band could top that performance... but they somehow was able to save their show with "Harlem".
Immediately after New Politics left the stage, the legion of late teenagers left the front of the stage... to make way for BANKS fans to slowly inch their way to the front.
We've seen Banks before at First Avenue last year and it felt like the same show: complete with near-darkness performance with the five banners (which spelled BANKS) and full of trip-hop, moody R&B, and layered melodies.
On retrospect, I think it was a perfect the way Go set this up, with the high-energy showmanship of New Politics, you'll want Banks to gently ease you down.
For Go's first show, this was fantastic. My only minor complaint was that the stage was not high enough, so unless you're in the front, it was really hard to see the performers. They addressed this with the previous Theatre de la Jeune Lune with bleachers-type seating, so even if you're all the way in the back, you can still see the stage.
For the young radio station's very first show, this invite-only event was really well-organized. When you first check in at the Aria (which used to be called Theatre de la Jeune Lune) you were given a blue or white-lit translucent bracelet to indicate if you're VIP or regular guests. Outside of the stage were printers that automatically printed Instagram #goshow selfies and a few Audi cars on display, and, of course, the merch table. Inside near the stage area there were paid food and bar section for the ground floor guests (VIP area had free food and drinks).
While we waited for the bands to arrive and between stage setups, the DJs played a large selection of 90s alternative music.
Unlike standard concerts, Go 96.3 wanted everyone in the audience to tweet, instagram, facebook themselves at the show... as a result, everyone was taking selfies... including the DJ presenters.
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Stress Of Her Regard
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If you were hoping to buy their EP at the show, singer Ciaran Daly addressed, "Over there... there's the merch table, which we got none! So follow us on Spotify instead."
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K.Flay
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New Politics Setlist
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Big highlight of their show was for "Fall Into These Arms", which singer David Boyd (shirtless since "Goodbye Copenhagen") climbed on the audience and continued to finish the song. Honestly, after that stunt, I really didn't think the Danish band could top that performance... but they somehow was able to save their show with "Harlem".
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Banks
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We've seen Banks before at First Avenue last year and it felt like the same show: complete with near-darkness performance with the five banners (which spelled BANKS) and full of trip-hop, moody R&B, and layered melodies.
On retrospect, I think it was a perfect the way Go set this up, with the high-energy showmanship of New Politics, you'll want Banks to gently ease you down.
For Go's first show, this was fantastic. My only minor complaint was that the stage was not high enough, so unless you're in the front, it was really hard to see the performers. They addressed this with the previous Theatre de la Jeune Lune with bleachers-type seating, so even if you're all the way in the back, you can still see the stage.
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New Politics at Aria, Minneapolis (13 Mar 2015) |
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