W♥M

Betty Who at First Avenue, Minneapolis (22 Mar 2023)

Betty Who Setlist Intro Weekend Mama Say She Can Dance Big Oldies Medley Glory Days / Old Me / Pretend You're Missing Me / Look Back / Lovin' Start / You Can Cry Tomorrow I Can Be Your Man Just Thought You Should Know One of Us Amelia's Voicemail acoustic set Grown Ups Grow Apart Wanna Be The Hard Way Human Touch Taste All of You Someone Else High Society Somebody Loves You Hey It's Betty Blow Out My Candle I Love You Always Forever (Donna Lewis cover) Shea Couleé Setlist New Phone Who Dis? Let Go Collide La Perla Material Your Name Read More Betty Who Just in time for Valentine, Betty Who's single "Heartbreak Dream" is coming out February 18th. Who cited Katy Perry and Robyn as massive influences on her music ....

Pop sensation Betty Who just headlined First Avenue in Minneapolis last night.

(place holder)

Shea Couleé (she/they) is a non-binary, internationally-renowned drag superstar, recording artist, model, and actor, known for their fashion-forward editorial looks, expanding their artistry and brand into many different spaces, and their consistent use of the art of drag and costuming as a medium for larger storytelling, having been applauded by Vogue for doing so. Widely celebrated as an activist focused on uplifting LGBTQIA+ individuals and the BIPOC community, they have countlessly shared how important it is for them to harness their career in drag to inspire, calling their drag a “love letter to Black women.”

>>>
03/22/2023 Wednesday

Betty Who
with Shea Couleé
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Pop sensation Betty Who recently covered Kate Bush’s iconic “Running Up That Hill”; the song had a renaissance last year when it was featured prominently in an episode of Netflix’s Stranger Things.

In other Who news, Betty Who was also been nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in the Outstanding Music Artist category for her acclaimed album BIG! (BMG). The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by GLAAD, the world’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives.

Shea Couleé to open.

Tour dates:

02/28/23: Phoenix, AZ at The Van Buren*
03/02/23: Dallas, TX at The Echo Lounge*
03/03/23: Austin, TX at Scoot Inn*
03/04/23: Houston, TX at House Of Blues*
03/06/23: Nashville, TN at Brooklyn Bowl*
03/07/23: Atlanta, GA at Variety Playhouse*
03/08/23: Asheville, NC at The Orange Peel*
03/10/23: Washington, DC at The Anthem#*
03/11/23: New York, NY at Hammerstein Ballroom*
03/14/23: Philadelphia, PA at Union Transfer*
03/15/23: Boston, MA at House Of Blues*
03/17/23: Toronto, ON at The Danforth Music Hall*
03/18/23: Detroit, MI at Saint Andrews Hall*
03/19/23: Columbus, OH at Newport Music Hall*
03/21/23: Chicago, IL at Riviera Theatre*
03/22/23: Minneapolis, MN at First Avenue*
03/24/23: Denver, CO at Ogden Theatre*
03/25/23: Salt Lake City, UT at The Depot*
03/28/23: Seattle, WA at Showbox SoDo*
03/29/23: Portland, OR at Wonder Ballroom*
03/31/23: San Francisco, CA at The Warfield*
04/01/23: Los Angeles, CA at The Novo*

* With Shea Coulee
# With Slayyyter
^ With Neve

Shea Couleé

Shea Couleé

Shea Couleé

Shea Couleé

Betty Who

Betty Who

Betty Who

Betty Who at First Avenue, Minneapolis (22 Mar 2023)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Beths at First Ave (03/20/2023)

Setlists The Beths Setlist Future Me Hates Me Knees Deep Out of Sight You Wouldn’t Like Me Your Side Best Left I Want to Listen Head in the Clouds Don’t Go Away Jump Rope Gazers Less Than Thou I Told You That I Was When You Know You Know I’m Not Getting Excited Silence Is Golden Expert in a Dying Field -- Encore -- You Are a Beam of Light Little Death Sidney Gish Setlist Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second (STRFKR cover) Rat of the City Where the Sidewalk Ends I Eat Salads Now Sin Triangle Persephone Filming School Presumably Dead Arm Not but for You, Bunny Read More The Beths Tribune called The Beths, one of the “best up-and-coming bands”, so we were really eager to catch this young New Zealand trio (Elizabeth Stokes, Jonathan Pearce and ....

The return of The Beths to the Twin Cities officially ushered in the first day of spring. Who cares if there was snow with most still wearing their ski caps. For a brief time at First Ave one could believe winter’s grip was finally losing its hold.

Sidney Gish opened the evening of the sold out show. The signer-songwriter from Boston played the electric guitar while working a row of foot pedals to augment her sound with bass, percussions and the occasional synth chords.

Gish played songs from her two albums Ed Buys Houses and No Dogs Allowed. “I Eat Salads Now” had a soulful, bouncy vibe in which Gish referenced in her lyrics that she was 26 years old. By chance, her actual birthday was a couple days ago and she was in fact turning 26. She said that it was the perfect moment for The Beths to come on stage with cake and balloons when she sang the line.

“Persephone” got a big applause when announced. Gish then accidentally added a layer of synth to the song, but she said: “This is fun!” Aka let’s roll with the new sound.

The highlight of the set was “Presumably Dead Arm” a stream of conscience whisper that Gish sung along with the crowd as the words and music grew into a crescendo “… with a vengeance, it seems.”

Setlist

The Beths opened up their set with “Future Me Hates Me” and then a crowd favorite: “You Wouldn’t like Me.” The band from Auckland, New Zealand was nice enough to return to the Twin Cities after their show was originally cancelled on February 22^nd due to you guessed it: a massive snow storm.

So they rescheduled one last show on their American tour, which lead singer, Elizabeth Stokes, said was symbiotic, since they ended their last American tour at the Fine Line in March of 2022. The giant fish that was so prominent on their tour didn’t make it to First Ave, though, for The Beths and Sidney Gish had to hop on a plane from San Francisco just to make it to the show.

Even though the lead guitarist, Jonathon Pearce, had the word RAGE embossed on his sweatshirt do not be fooled. This is a nice group of musicians with Benjamin Sinclair on bass and Tristan Deck on drums. Sidney Gish described her touring companions as the band you would see in a cartoon. There is a definite brightness in their sound and lushness in their four-person harmony even if the lyrics delve into the angst and worry of everyday life.

This robust sound was best exemplified in “Jump Rope Gazers”. But it was the high-spirited songs like “Don’t Go Away” and “I’m Not Getting Excited” that demonstrated their skills as a tight-knit group as they careened, even shifting speeds and chords midstream.

There won’t be much time for relaxation for this most sought after band. Soon, they tour Europe, then summer music festivals in the United States. And if you missed their show at First Ave, they will be back, opening for The National at The Armory on August 9^th.

Don’t worry! There is little chance the show will be cancelled due to snow.

The Beths

Sidney Gish Sidney Gish The Beths The Beths The Beths

The Beths at First Avenue, Minneapolis (20 Mar 2023)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Samia at First Ave (02/18/2023)

Samia Setlist Kill Her Freak Out Fit N Full Charm You Big Wheel Pink Balloon Breathing Song Triptych Stellate Winnebago Is There Something in the Movies? Honey Sea Lions Mad at me with Papa Mbye Minnesota Amelia Dream Song with Tommy Lefroy Shaking the Can with Raffaella Show Up Read More Samia After a tour with Sylvan Esso, New York City’s Samia will be headlining her own tour… which includes Minneapolis and Kansas City. Samia ’s is touring in support of her new EP, Scout , released digitally July 23rd on Grand Jury … Tommy Lefroy Tommy Lefroy and WHY NOT to open. Tour dates: 02/06 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel * 02/07 - Washington DC - 9:30 Club * 02/08 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer * 02/10 - Boston, MA - House of Blues *… Why Not Henry Breen of the band Why Not opened the evening with a solo set on acoustic guitar. He mentioned it was the first time he had performed as a solo act and enjoyed the intimate setting of the venue as one could … Papa Mbye 7th Street Entry in support of his Greenhouse EP. Papa Mbye and bugsy to open. Miloe is also excited to go on his first ever tour this Fall. Many dates are already sold out … … Raffaella We saw Raffaella in Sep 2019 and wrote, “New York’s Raffaella (with live backing band bassist Charlie and drummer Alonso) opened up the show with a very brief 30-min set. This was the singer/songwriter’s first time in Minneapolis …

It was an all-age show at First Ave made by the fact that a young couple brought their new born, strapped into a BabyBjörn with probably the cutest over the earphones yet produced. Luckily the baby and the crowd were not exposed to a sonic assault. In fact, quite the opposite as Samia stopped by for her first appearances at the venue.

WHY NOT opened the evening with a brief set. They are a local band who met at Great River Middle School in St. Paul: Henry Breen on vocals and bass, Isaac Dell on Guitar and Joshua MacGregor on drums. And since it was their first appearance at First Ave, they upped the ante and asked their friend Elijah to join them on keyboards.

They were greeted by a dedicated fan base for the room was packed and the pit was practically a rugby scrum of photographers trying to get a good look.

The highlight of the set was Papa Mbye, local musician and visual artists, joining the band for a song which sent the crowd into momentary frenzy.

Tommy LeFroy took the stage next. They can best be described as a duo collective that met not in middle school, but through social media for such a chance encounter is only possible when one lived in Vancouver (Tessa Mouzourakis) and the other in Northern Michigan (Wynter Bethel). They bonded with their mutual love of music and literature. In fact, the name of their band is a riff on Jane Austen’s ex-boyfriend, Thomas Langlois LeFroy. (I think they were called suitors or gentlemen callers back then.)

Tommy LeFroy highlighted songs from their debut album Flight Risk: “Vampires”, “Knievel” and “The Cause.” They mentioned that although they had never been to Minneapolis, they hold an affinity for the location, which led them into “Northern Towns.”

Two highlights were the brief, yet succinct “Flight Risk” and a cover of Alex G’s “Runner” where their drummer, Joey (and Minnesota native), joined them with a guitar for the sing-along.

Samia took no time engaging the crowd as she led off with “Kill Her Freak Out” from her sophomore album, Honey. The audience responded a standing ovation of screams and howls to other decisions gone wrong like “Triptych.”

But it wasn’t all a downward spiral. There was the lively and danceable “Sea Lions.” There was the required “Minnesota” from her debut album The Baby. Also, the producer of her latest album, Caleb Wright, joined her on the stage to sing along with “Honey,” a song they co-wrote together.

“I’m all out of sorts,” gushed Samia after the song. For a singer known for her sad songs, it was not hard to detect that she was having a good time as she shared the love by inviting Papa Mbye to sing “Mad at Me” then Tommy LeFroy with “Dream Song” and finally “Shaking the Can” with Raffaella.

An enjoyable evening was had by all: Samia, the audience, the guest singers, even one on of her band members got in the act when he took what appeared to be a guitar pick and spiked it like a football at the end of the show.

Remaining tour dates:

02/20 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre *
02/21 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Grand *
02/23 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile *
02/24 - Vancouver, BC - Hollywood Theatre *
02/25 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom *
02/27 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 *
03/02 - LA, CA - Fonda Theatre *
03/04 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom *
03/07 - Austin, TX - Scoot Inn *
03/08 - Dallas, TX - Trees *
03/10 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse *
03/11 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl *

* w/ support from Tommy Lefroy

Why Not

Why Not

Why Not

Tommy Lefroy

Tommy Lefroy

Tommy Lefroy

Tommy Lefroy

Samia

Samia

Samia

Samia

Samia at First Avenue, Minneapolis (18 Feb 2023)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Charlatans and Ride at First Avenue, Minneapolis (09 Feb 2023)

02/09 The Charlatans UK and RIDE with DJ Jake Rudh at First Avenue Charlatans Setlist Between 10th and 11th Photo of Setlist I Don't Want to See the Sights Ignition Page One Tremolo Song Can't Even Be Bothered Weirdo Chewing Gum Weekend (No One) Not Even the Rain The End of Everything Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over Let the Good Times Be Never Ending One to Another The Only One I Know North Country Boy -- Encore -- Plastic Machinery Sproston Green Ride Setlist Nowhere Photo of Setlist Seagull Kaleidoscope In a Different Place Polar Bear Dreams Burn Down Decay Paralysed Vapour Trail Taste Here and Now Nowhere Lannoy Point OX4 Monaco Leave Them All Behind Read More The Charlatans The Charlatans have finally made good on their threat of releasing their album for free on the heels of Radiohead's In Rainbows. … Ride Legendary shoegazing band Ride will be headlining Mill City Nights next Tuesday, September 29th. After the British band broke up in 1996, founding band member Andy Bell went on to … DJ Jake Rudh Playing music between sets was DJ Jake Rudh, from Transmission. As you know, Rudh is a big fan of New Order and Joy Division, naming his radio show after a Joy Division song. . …

Two titans of British rock bands, The Charlatans and Ride have teamed up for this once-in-a-lifetime tour across America in 2023. The bands stopped in at First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on Thursday, February 9th.

Before the bands took the stage (and in-between bands), DJ Jake Rudh from Transmission, played music videos of 90’s British music: Curve, Catherine Wheel, Lush, New Order, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, The Fall, etc.

Playing first was Oxford’s Ride, featuring vocalists and guitarists Andy Bell and Mark Gardener, drummer Laurence “Loz” Colbert and bassist Steve Queralt. The band is one of the early pioneers of shoegazing music, thanks to their debut album Nowhere, which came out in 1990. The term shoegazing is used to described the layers of guitar distortions and effects. Its origin is in reference to the many guitar foot pedals (so the guitarist would be staring at their feet to operate the effects correctly).

Ride broke up in 1996 and the band members went their separate ways. Notably, vocalists and guitarists Andy Bell joined Oasis (which led to being in Liam Gallagher’s Beady Eye band). When Beady Eye broke up in 2014, Bell announced that Ride had reformed! We caught the band on their reunion tour at Mill City Nights in Sep 2015.

For this 2023 tour, Ride would play their influential debut album, from start to finish. This also included the three bonus tracks from the CD (which was originally not available on the 12”): Taste, Here and Now, and Nowhere.

The record was played flawlessly, so the band is very well rehearsed. There were no delays between songs for guitar tuning or anything, because they had a dedicated guitar tech running and fetching the right guitar for the right song.

After the entire album was played, Bell said, “That’s the Nowhere album. Now we’re going to play a few more songs… if you don’t mind.”

Of those other songs, the most interesting among them was Monaco which is not officially out yet. The band mentioned that this song is from their forthcoming seventh album, set for release either this year or next year. It sounded really good, more upbeat and aggressive than what we’re used to.

Of course, they saved their most well-known song, “Leave Them All Behind” as their set closer.

The Charlatans (known as The Charlatans UK in the USA for legal reasons) closed out the show. This band, with the help of Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, and James, help launched the Madchester explosion. For this 2023 co-headlining tour, The Charlatans decided to play their second album Between 10th and 11th.

I bought this record when it came out, based on the strength of their Weirdo single, and ultimately tracked down their debut album Some Friendly. Comparing the two records, you can hear the evolution, clearly the better produced and written record was Between 10th and 11th… and it should be the album that define the band.

Tim Burgess (vuart)

When The Charlatans took First Avenue’s stage, you can clearly tell that singer Tim Burgess was having a blast! He’s video-taping the audience with his phone, he constantly had a massive smile on his face (see special vuart), he’s overly animated, he’s doing his funky hand-wheeling dance, he’s inciting the audience to clap… it’s like Tim just stepped out a beach college and he’s going to teach us how to have fun.

Looking at the setlist, you can see that the band left the song Subtitle off their setlist. I’m not entirely sure why they decided to do this, perhaps it was done for creative reasons… much like how the song The End of Everything was moved to the end of the song order.

They played a two-song encore, starting with Plastic Machinery. Before they started to play Sproston Green, Tim introduces the band: “On the drums is Peter Salisbury, on the keyboard is Tony Rogers, on the electric guitars is Mark Collins, on the bass is Martin Blunt. And I’m Tim Burgess.”

If you love early 90s British rock, you really need to make it out see these two excellent bands play. I don’t normally go out in the middle of winter to see concerts, but this Charlatans/Ride co-headlining tour could not be missed.

Remaining tour dates:

02/11 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
02/13 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
02/14 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
02/15 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
02/17 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
02/18 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern

DJ Jake Rudh

Ride

Ride

Ride

Ride

Ride

The Charlatans: Tim Burgess

The Charlatans

The Charlatans: Tim Burgess

The Charlatans: Martin Blunt

The Charlatans: Mark Collins

The Charlatans at First Avenue, Minneapolis (09 Feb 2023)

dave + vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Lemonheads live - Kansas City MO (2022-12-07) / Minneapolis MN (2022-12-09)

12/07 The Lemonheads with Bass Drum of Death and On Being an Angel at Madrid Lemonheads Setlist (12/07)     Intro: Miss Otis Regrets by Ella Fitzgerald Evan Dando Solo Photo of Setlist The Outdoor Type (Smudge cover) Hard Drive Being Around It's A Shame About Ray Set Rockin' Stroll Confetti It's a Shame About Ray Rudderless My Drug Buddy The Turnpike Down Bit Part Alison's Starting to Happen Hannah & Gabi Kitchen Ceiling Fan in My Spoon Frank Mills (Galt MacDermot cover) How Will I Know (Whitney Houston cover) Divan (Smudge cover) I'll Be Here in the Morning (Townes van Zandt cover) Snow Don't Fall (Townes van Zandt cover) Skulls (Misfits cover) Dimming of the Day (Bonnie Raitt cover snippet) Withered and Died (Richard and Linda Thompson cover snippet) Layin’ Up with Linda (G G Allin cover snippet) Into Your Arms Hospital Pittsburgh If I Could Talk I'd Tell You Bass Drum of Death Setlist (12/07) Photo of Setlist I Wanna Be Forgotten Nerve Jamming Just Business Velvet Itch Head Change Left for Dead Say Your Prayers Shattered Me Get Found Crawling After You

Three decades later, it’s still a Shame--

Make that Shame, Shame in our case as we headed out not once, but twice to catch The Lemonheads on their It’s a Shame About Ray- 30^th Anniversary Tour in Kansas City, MO at the Madrid Theatre and also the following date up north in Minneapolis, MN at First Avenue.

Most of their remaining US dates are sold out, as was the tour of the UK and Ireland that they had recently completed, so bandleader Evan Dando is finding out exactly how well that quintessential 90’s alternative rock album, has aged.

The band formed in Boston way back in 1986, with Dando being the remaining constant, and struck a chord first at indie radio with a sound that echoed folk / alt-country (before its time) blended with pop-like melodies, discordant chords and the low-fi sound of period alternative. Band members have previously included Juliana Hatfield, Ryan Adams, and members of Descendents, Blake Babies, Dinosaur Jr and Fuzzy.

Dando famously announced the demise of the band on stage at Reading Festival in 1997 and carried on with a solo career, but you can’t keep a good thing down, and the current trio consists of Dando, bassist Farley Glavin, and previously Swervedriver drummer Mikey Jones, who unfortunately fell ill and was unable to complete the tour.

Enter (on very short notice) the legendary Bill Stevenson of Descendents fame who played the Denver and KC shows, and upstate NY’s Lee Falco, who is slated to complete the rest.

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The opening acts for this leg included Austin TX band On Being an Angel, who just put out a recent EP, On Being a Tape Vol II last month, the four-track collection includes their cover of Lucinda Williams’ “Metal Firecracker” which they’ve been playing a loud version of live as well.

With Hatfield-esque vocals and a mid-90s throwback part to their sound, the four piece just seems to be getting started, and is worth keeping an eye (and ear) on, to see what’s next.

Bass Drum of Death is a formidable sounding name for an Oxford, MS garage rock trio that has a sound to match, fronted by John Barrett and filled out by his brother Jim (only recently recruited), and Eric Parisi.

We saw the band a few times in 2013-14, and then they seemingly vanished, but were actually on a hiatus to re-emerge with both Barretts collaborating for the first time, and new album, Say I Won’t, expected in late January and a headlining club tour to follow.

The threesome was musically tight throughout their swift thirty-minute set, with chugging rhythms like a runaway locomotive and if new single “Say Your Prayers” is any barometer of sounds to come, more will definitely be taking notice in 2023.

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Madrid Theatre – Kansas City, MO (2022-12-07)

Evan Dando casually found his way to the stage to begin their eighty-minute set, randomly tuning his twelve string and other guitars, while singing along to the Ella Fitzgerald walk-on music, but was eventually ready, playing a three-song solo set to begin.

Right away, the printed setlist seemed only an advisory as what might be played, but unpredictability / spontaneity often can be a part of a Lemonheads show.

Stevenson and Glavin made their way up for the anticipated It’s a Shame About Ray album played in its entirety, but it began more like a rehearsal with some unsure chords and the trio facing each other in a circle until they found their way (ironically) with “Rudderless” and drummer Stevenson now bashing the skins even louder, and with a killer smile on his face.

Despite his sometimes-puzzling stage presence. Dando’s voice has held up nicely and the crowd sang along with hits’ It’s a Shame About Ray” and “My Drug Buddy”, holding their phones up to video capture those nostalgic songs of their college days and the album's closer, “Frank Mills” was a sing-along as well, back to just Dando solo on stage.

The printed setlist then seemed completely ignored (with Dando re-entering the stage tossing his guitar stand), playing instead songs that came more to mind, including Whitney Houston, Misfits and Townes van Zandt covers but Lemonheads hits also remained for the patient, including the near-perfect alt-pop smash “Into Your Arms” and the set-closing “If I Could Talk, I’d Tell You”.

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12/09 The Lemonheads with Juliana Hatfield, Bass Drum of Death and On Being an Angel at First Avenue Lemonheads Setlist (12/09) Into Your Arms The Great Big No It's About Time Dawn Can't Decide Hospital Down About It My Idea (Chris Brokaw cover) It Looks Like You Hard Drive Different Drum (Michael Nesmith cover) Acoustic Set I'll Be Here in the Morning (Townes van Zandt cover) The Outdoor Type (Smudge cover) Being Around It's A Shame About Ray Set Rockin Stroll Confetti It's a Shame About Ray My Drug Buddy Rudderless Bit Part The Turnpike Down Alison's Starting to Happen Hannah & Gabi Ceiling Fan in My Spoon Frank Mills (Galt MacDermot cover) Tour Dates 12.10 Chicago, IL Metro 12.11 Detroit, MI Saint Andrew's Hall 12.12 Washington, D.C. 9.30 Club 12.14 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer 12.15 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge 12.16 New Jersey, NJ White Eagle Hall 12.17 Boston, MA Paradise 12.18 Boston, MA Paradise 11.25 - 12.18 w/ On Being An Angel 12.9 - 12.18 w/ Juliana Hatfield Read More The Lemonheads Originally, The Lemonheads were scheduled to play in the closet-sized 7th Street Entry, but seeing as tickets sold-out, they upgraded the band to the full-sized room at First Avenue. …

First Avenue- Minneapolis, MN (2022-12-09) with Juliana Hatfield

In the early days of the pandemic, I found myself (like everyone else) scrolling through the Instagram feeds of celebrities, namely musicians. How were the ridiculously good looking and talented biding their time in lockdown? To my utter delight, I came across Evan Dando’s page and discovered a handful of photos. Photos featuring the 90s era dreamboat and power-pop troubadour in Jeremiah Johnson mode: fishing, carousing through the scenic wilderness, enjoying flannel-clad freedom. Dando was just like me! …well kind of. I was still at level 1 Outdoor Type and he was at 89. And though the comparison ends there he still has the power to get me to leave my house.

Deep into their tour celebrating 30 years (30 YEARS?) of the iconic album It’s a Shame About Ray, The Lemonheads stopped at First Avenue with the likes of Bass Drum of Death and On Being an Angel. The VIP of the night, however, was elusive chanteuse Juliana Hatfield, who not only played a special solo set but guested on the ‘Heads beloved Ray track “Drug Buddy” … but let’s not get ahead of ourselves…

Austin’s On Being an Angel kicked off the night, albeit a little late. Which is too bad because they only got through about 5 songs before ending their set. One of those songs though was an excellent cover of Lucinda William’s “Metal Firecracker.” Austin and Minneapolis are sister cities, right? So maybe we can get them back up here to play a longer show!

Next up was Oxford, Mississippi’s own masters of chug, Bass Drum of Death! It’s been a hot minute since we’ve heard from these guys. After announcing a hiatus in 2015, frontman John Barrett and company released their last full length album in 2018 Just Business. In the last few years, there has been a steady trickling of EPs and singles from the band but January of 2023 will see the release of their 5th studio record Say I Won’t. The band is back on Fat Possum and from the look and sound of their Friday night performance, they haven’t lost an ounce of their swampy garage rock swagger!

No shade to the very good bands that came before her, but Juliana Hatfield really knows how to knock the wind out of you. I was lucky to catch her and her band back in 2015 playing all of 1993’s explosive Become What You Are but it’s a different vibe without a noisy band sharing the stage. Hers was a staggering solo performance with just an electric guitar and those airy vocals. Beginning with “Everybody Loves Me But You” from 1992’s Hey Babe, Hatfield delicately flowed through songs from her 30-plus year catalogue. The occasional false start, awkward pause or runny nose could not dampen the sting and ache of her music and words: “Little Pieces,” “I Got No Idols,” a searing “Candy Wrappers” (which my friend requested on Instagram!) and of course “Sister.”

She closed with “Bad Day” and after a tuning flub, recalled a tea mishap earlier at the Depot, where the tea was spilled 3 different times. Like Dando, Juliana Hatfield works outside and against the difficult and cynical churn of the music industry. She’s as prolific as ever, releasing new music nearly every year and collaborating with other musicians like Matthew Caws (Minor Alps) and Paul Westerberg (The I Don’t Cares). Along with two covers albums (she sings Olivia Newton-John AND The Police), her last solo venture was 2021’s Blood and you should absolutely listen to it (especially the jaunty, piercing “Mouthful of Blood”).

The last time I saw The Lemonheads was at a disastrous gig at the Fine Line in November of 2021. Evan lost his voice early into the set and the people in the audience were so drunk and stupid, I wonder if they even knew where they were and who they paid money to see. This time around was mercifully better: a sold-out and amiable crowd who heaped adoration onto Dando and the band (the formidable Lee Falco and Farley Glavin, on drums and bass respectively) and did what any diehard fan should do: sing every single word! (Now, did that stop folks from getting their Friday night jollies? Heck no! Two inebriated ladies were grinding against each other in front of their chiropractor husbands during, of all songs, “My Drug Buddy” but I reserve my judgment. Even trophy wives need to have a night out of the domestic pen!)

Tall flanneled Evan Dando and his fantastic rhythm section wasted no time and unleashed a treasure trove of delicious catchy gems: “Into Your Arms,” “It’s About Time,” “Great Big No,” “Dawn Can’t Decide,” “Hospital.” Solo Dando tunes like “Hard Drive” and “It Looks Like You” were stand-outs as well as heavy drug dirge “Style” which saw Evan and Farley exchange instruments and Farley absolutely wailed all over the place! Following “Style” was an acoustic Evan set that put his warm, Fred Neil-style baritone front and center. And it wouldn’t be a proper Dando show without a generous helping of amazing country or folk covers like Townes van Zandt’s “I’ll Be Here in the Morning” and “Withered and Died” by Richard and Linda Thompson amongst ‘Heads classics like “Being Around” and “The Outdoor Type.”

At long last it was Ray time, with each glorious melody as bright and infectious as the first time I heard them. The band did pummel through them quickly, but for an album that is a hair under 30 minutes, maybe it just felt that way. I would listen to this CD in my car on trips back to Wisconsin like 300 times because of its seamless balance of starry-eyed guitar pop and bittersweet countrified ballads. Did I white-knuckle every time I heard the siren on “Kitchen”? Why, yes I did. It gets me every single time. This is a goddamned perfect album and the best song is “Hannah and Gabi” and I will fight you if you disagree.

The band wrapped up the title track and stage hands climbed aboard to set up a microphone stand next to Evan. This was it! Evan and Juliana! “My Drug Buddy”! And despite occasional disturbances from the horny middle-aged housewives next to me, the amber glow emanating from those two voices combined in holy musical harmony on the second best song on It’s a Shame About Ray, but probably the best Lemonheads song ever, “My Drug Buddy” could not be ignored. Goosebumps, my friends!

The bops didn’t stop, but Dando’s voice was starting to get a little hoarse. A minor inconvenience really considering 1500 people were singing along! The show came to a gentle close with the album’s quirky Hair cover “Frank Mills,” a song Evan did acapella, serenading a crowd already hungover from excitement. We left the house! We saw a great show! We didn’t get hit by a bus! Long live the Lemonheads! If you are interested in learning more about Evan Dando and his absolutely bonkers life in and out of the Lemonheads, I highly recommend you check out their episode on the excellent podcast Bandsplain.

LEMONHEADS (KC) photo: John

LEMONHEADS- BILL STEVENSON (KC) photo: John

LEMONHEADS (KC) photo: John

LEMONHEADS- FARLEY GLAVIN (KC) photo: John

LEMONHEADS (KC) photo: John

LEMONHEADS- BILL STEVENSON (KC) photo: John

LEMONHEADS (KC) photo: John

BASS DRUM OF DEATH (KC) photo: John

BASS DRUM OF DEATH (KC) photo: John

BASS DRUM OF DEATH (KC) photo: John

ON BEING AN ANGEL (KC) photo: John

ON BEING AN ANGEL (KC) photo: John

Bass Drum of Death (MN) photo: Blaire and Dan

On Being an Angel (MN) photo: Blaire and Dan

On Being an Angel (MN) photo: Blaire and Dan

Bass Drum of Death (MN) photo: Blaire and Dan

Juliana Hatfield (MN) photo: Blaire and Dan Bass Drum of Death (MN) photo: Blaire and Dan Juliana Hatfield (MN) photo: Blaire and Dan Juliana Hatfield (MN) photo: Blaire and Dan Juliana Hatfield (MN) photo: Blaire and Dan The Lemonheads, with Juliana Hatfield (MN) photo: Blaire and Dan The Lemonheads, with Juliana Hatfield (MN) photo: Blaire and Dan

The Lemonheads, with Juliana Hatfield, at First Avenue, Minneapolis (09 Dec 2022) photo: Blaire and Dan

john + emily ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Plains at First Ave (11/18/2022)

Setlist Summer Sun Problem With It Line of Sight Wind on Tin+ Can't Do Much* Bellafatima Last 2 on Earth Abilene Lilacs* Easy Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys (Waylon Jennings cover) Hunter+ No Record of Wrongs I Walked With You a Ways Hurricane -- Encore -- Amarillo Highway (Terry Allen cover) Right Back to It* Goodbye Earl (The Chicks cover) * Waxahatchee song + Jess Williamson song Read More Plains Plains is the new collaborative project from Jess Williamson and Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield. Their new album I Walked With You A Ways recently came out on ANTI- Records. ... Waxahatchee Waxahatchee is headlining the Triple Rock Social Club this Friday. The duo’s latest album Out in the Storm is available on Merge Records. Cayetana and Snail Mail will open. ...

The band Plains rolled into First Ave on the backend of their maiden tour and was greeted by a warm and receptive crowd where nary a cowboy hat could be found. Instead, winter coats and ski caps were the apparel as an unusual winter season settled in early.

MJ Lenderman and his band opened the evening sounding at times like younger relatives to Son Volt, but a little grungier and even more laid back. He started off with a slow dirge of a song that kept building in “No Mercy” and then moved onto the upbeat, almost danceable “TV Dinners” about a man at home all by himself on a Friday night definitely not dancing while heating up his pre-made meal.

Based in Ashville, NC and playing guitar for the band Wednesday, he is in town for the first time with his sophomore album Boat Songs.

His website has him in a cooler surrounded by cases of domestic beer. And although his songs mainly focus on sports, drinking and the pursuit of happiness, there is a tinge of soberness lurking with songs that are brief and observational and seem to get to the point with a few well-placed words.

It's plain to me to see
You have bought yourself a boat
Since the last time you and me spoke
Your laundry looks so clean
Soft threads hanging and relaxing in the wind
You'll feel so much better when you wear these clothes again

Plains is more of a duo and they are comprised of Katie Crutchfield who plays under the name Waxahatchee and Jess Williams. Both are established singers with indie labels that decided why not get together and play a bunch of country songs. If you listen to their debut album I Walked With You a Ways you would think they have been singing together since birth like musical twins, so similar but different enough to make their harmonization not too homogenous and prepackaged.

A full crowd gathered to watch this duo/country experiment and were rewarded “… with voices twining in distinctive harmonies – waltzy and twangy, earthy and diaphanous.” As described by Sarah Edwards of Indy Week.

Both Crutchfield (Birmingham, AL) and Williams (Dallas, TX) grew up with country music and they fully adopted the genre not only in sound but in apparel: Crutchfield wore black leather chaps along with a faded jean jacket (outlaw) and Williams had sparkly tassels attached and swaying from her black jeans and printed roses on her jacket with thorns lurking (Dolly Parton with a bite).

With only one album under their rhinestone belts Plains played their whole album with highlights like “Problem with It” and “Abilene”. In country the story is king or in this instance queen. There is directness in the lyrics not encumbered by orchestral swells or discordant chords, but a steady beat to keep the words coming. When you hear a good country song like “Abilene” you remember it long after it is heard.

An hour into the set Crutchfield told the crowd that they were going to play a country song, which produced a collective “Huh?” And then they launched into Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson’s “Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”, a song that Crutchfield and Williams would have listened to over and over when growing up where all seeds are planted.

MJ Lenderman

MJ Lenderman

MJ Lenderman

MJ Lenderman

MJ Lenderman

Setlist Plains Plains Plains Plains

Plains at First Avenue, Minneapolis (18 Nov 2022)

BONUS: Photos of Plains at Knuckleheads, Kansas City (11/19/2022), courtesy of Kimberly Carlson

Plains at Knuckleheads Poster MJ Lenderman at Knuckleheads (11/19/2022) MJ Lenderman at Knuckleheads (11/19/2022) Plains at Knuckleheads (11/19/2022) Plains at Knuckleheads (11/19/2022)

dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Alex G at First Ave (11/01/2022)

Alex G Setlist S.D.O.S Runner Hope No Bitterness After Ur Gone Judge Ain’t It Easy Mission Kicker Brick Horse Blessing Immunity Early Morning Waiting After All Cross the Sea Gretel Miracles Forgive -- Encore -- Snot Advice Rules Mis Gnaw Change Tour Dates Nov 2 Chicago, IL, US Thalia Hall Nov 3 Chicago, IL, US Thalia Hall Nov 4 Detroit, MI, US Majestic Theatre Nov 5 Toronto, ON, Canada Danforth Music Hall Nov 6 Montreal, QC, Canada Théâtre Corona Nov 8 Boston, MA, US Paradise Rock Club Nov 9 Boston, MA, US Paradise Rock Club Nov 10 Brooklyn, NY, US Brooklyn Steel Nov 11 Brooklyn, NY, US Brooklyn Steel Nov 12 Brooklyn, NY, US Brooklyn Steel Nov 14 Boston, MA, US Paradise Rock Club Nov 16 Washington, DC, US 9:30 Club Nov 17 Washington, DC, US 9:30 Club Nov 18 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer Nov 19 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer Nov 20 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer Read More (Sandy) Alex G Alex G (Alex Giannascoli - not to be confused with singer/songwriter Alex G) just released Beach Music... his seventh full-length album, and his first Domino release. He’s obviously not used to recording in a studio, saying, “I was … Hatchie Hatchie’s new album Giving the World Away is out now on Secretly Canadian. Caroline Loveglow to open. …

Alex G was in town with his band to promote his new album God Save the Animals. But first Hatchie aka Harriette Pilbeam opened the evening with an eight song set. Born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, she is promoting her sophomore album, Giving the World Away.

Two weeks on the road, Hatchie said she felt refreshed for she had the day off, which isn’t a typical routine for tours. Her rested voice had an ethereal quality with her airy sound lofting above the rich reverberations of the two guitars that accompanied her.

“Stay With Me” was a crowd favorite with a pulsating drum beat, rising synth chords that kept growing louder and louder into a crescendo.

Hatchie, a family nickname, lists her influences as the Cocteau Twins, The Sundays and Mazzy Star. When she launched into “The Rhythm” you could almost hear shades of an early Sinead O’Connor.

With her day off, Hatchie spent a portion of it in Dinkytown, which is located next to the sprawling University of Minnesota campus. She was so impressed with her breakfast, she joked about maybe applying at the university.

Alex G (Giannascoli) took the stage with his band: Sam Acchione on lead guitar, John Heywood on bass, and Tom Kelly on drums. Although not quite thirty he has already released nine albums. It probably helped that he started recording early at age of 11 when his parents gave him an Apple computer. Most of his early albums were self-released, but by the time of House of Sugar made Pitchforks Top 50 Albums in 2019, he had arrived.

Alex G has an eclectic range. Influenced by Elliot Smith and Built to Spill, he and his band demonstrated a high dynamic range, going from full pop and auto tune with “Immunity” to a haunted speed metal ride of “Brick.”

“After Ur Gone” was a crowd favorite as Alex G’s vocals and Acchione’s guitar went back and forth before Acchione took over with a wildly contained solo that earned a roar from the crowd. Acchione even thanked the crowd with a whammy bar lick at the end.

Another highlight was “Kicker”, which started with a slow, deliberate drum beat followed by a pizzicato guitar, low hum of the bass, all building into what can best be described as a musical ritual as the musicians turned and faced Kelly on drums to offer musical chords in some form of sacrifice, which had the crowd chanting Alex G’s name in the end.

Alex G is well known and highly regarded for being a singer/songwriter, meaning his lyrics tend to have a little more depth than the average pop song. He even tends to reference religious themes in his music, especially in “Blessing” when he sang: Every day/Is a blessing / As I walk / Through the mud / If I live / Like the fishes / I will rise / From the flood.

By the end of the show the full crowd wanted more and Alex G provided an extra-plus encore of 6 songs, the last one “Change” perhaps the best of the evening as he belted out the refrain: “I don’t like change” while Kelly slowed downed the beat and brought the band to a crawl, as if trying for a brief moment to hold back the inevitable.

Hatchie

Hatchie

Alex G Setlist

Alex G

Alex G at First Avenue, Minneapolis (01 Nov 2022)

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Sammy Rae and the Friends at First Avenue, Minneapolis (28 Oct 2022)

Sammy Rae Setlist Follow Me Like the Moon Talk It Up Whatever We Feel Denim Jacket Jackie Onassis Living Room Floor The Box For the Time Being Good Life Flesh & Bone Believe (Cher cover) If It All Goes South -- Encore -- Hotel California (Eagles cover) Kick It To Me Read More Sammy Rae & The Friends Sammy and "The Friends" are so talented... let's hope this album (The Good Life) and the new album Let's Throw A Party garner a much bigger following, and there's more music to come. ...

Brooklyn-based Sammy Rae headlined First Avenue’s mainroom in support of their new release If It All Goes South. She is joined by her band The Friends, billed as Sammy Rae & The Friends, which consists of Kellon Reese on alto saxophone, Max Zooi on tenor saxophone, James Quinlan on bass, Debbie Tjong on keys, Will Leet on guitarist and C-bass Chiriboga on drums.

Opening the show was Minnesota’s “Best New Band” of 2018 and 2019 Yam Haus, led by singer Lars Pruitt, guitarist Seth Blum, bassist Zach Beinlich, and drummer Jake Felstow.

The band’s debut album Stargazer was streamed over 3.5 million times, and earned them recognition for representing Minnesota in the American Song Contest contest for “Ready to Go”. The song their penultimate song on their, as Lars explained how they were doing well on the NBC contest, until the song got its butt kicked by Michael Bolton, who “destroyed” them.

Originally Rae, starting as a singer in New York at the age of 19, was a solo singer, influenced by gospel music and Bob Dylan. It wasn’t until 2021’s The Good Life and Let’s Throw a Party that The Friends joined as Sammy Rae and the Friends, did they really gain popularity being on Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” playlist. The band was originally set to tour in 2020, but due to the pandemic, they were forced rescheduled their tour Follow Me Like The Moon in 2021 and If It All Goes South in 2022.

As you can see, Sammy Rae and the Friends were in the Halloween spirit, as everyone was in costume as Scoobie Doo and the Scoobie gang. The band has a ton of fans, and they are certainly one of the funnest band around.

The band played all the hit songs, including “Follow Me Like The Moon” and “Good Life”. All the songs were treated like it’s a giant party, with the audience helping to sing and clap along to the song.

There were a couple of cover songs, including Cher’s “Believe” and The Eagles’ signature song, “Hotel California”.

Remaining Tour dates:

October 29th @ Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln, NE
October 31st @ Granada Theatre in Lawrence, KS
November 2nd @ Gothic Theatre in Denver, CO
November 3rd @ Commonwealth Room in Salt Lake City, UT
November 4th @ The Knitting Factory in Boise, ID
November 6th @ The Showbox in Seattle, WA
November 9th @ Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR
November 11th @ Regency in San Francisco, CA
November 12th @ Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, CA
November 13th @ Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, CA
November 15th @ House of Blues in San Diego, CA
November 16th @ Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas, NV
November 17th @ Marquee Theatre in Phoenix, AZ

Yam Haus

Yam Haus

Sammy Rae

Sammy Rae

Sammy Rae and the Friends at First Avenue, Minneapolis (28 Oct 2022)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Toadies at First Avenue, Minneapolis (07 Oct 2022)

10/07 Toadies and Reverend Horton Heat with Nashville Pussy at First Avenue Toadies Setlist Little Sin No Deliverance Closer to You Jigsaw Girl Long Time Rubberneck Set Mexican Hairless Mister Love Backslider Possum Kingdom Quitter Away I Come From the Water Tyler Happy Face Velvet I Burn -- Encore -- I Put a Spell on You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cover) Charmer Push the Hand Rattler's Revival Reverend Horton Heat Setlist Liquor in the Front Set Big Sky Baddest of the Bad One Time for Me Five-O Ford In Your Wildest Dreams Yeah, Right Cruisin' for a Bruisin' I Could Get Used to It Liquor, Beer & Wine I Can't Surf Jezebel (Frankie Laine cover) Rockin' Dog -- 400 Bucks Ace of Spades (Motörhead cover) Read More Toadies Still rubberneckin’… After a successful two legs to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their defining album, Rubberneck; Fort Worth, TX band Toadies … Reverend Horton Heat The so-called "godfather of modern rockabilly and psychobilly" Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath's latest album Rev (their 11th album!) came out last year on Victory Records. … Nashville Pussy Atlanta’s Nashville Pussy took to the stage (after a brief delay in starting with a between-acts bass monitor issue) in support of last year’s cheekily named Pleased to Eat You (on earMUSIC) …

The Toadies’s long-delayed 25th Anniversary of Rubberneck finally happened at First Avenue, in Minneapolis, last night, October 7th.

Not only was it the 25th Anniversary of Rubberneck, but it was also Reverend Horton Heat’s 25th Anniversary of Liquor in the Front… so the band also agreed to perform their entire album live too.

The special tour literally took two years in the making, as Toadies drummer Mark Reznicek explained, “This tour was originally slated to go out in 2020… Because of the effects of Covid, this is our third attempt at doing a tour celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Rubberneck. It’s been a long time coming, but the third time’s the charm as they say. It wasn’t ever an easy decision to postpone tours, but we felt it was the right thing to do to keep everyone (ourselves included) safe. And we’re really excited to finally be getting out there to play the album in its entirety for all our patient fans across the country.”

Rounding out the celebration was support from Atlanta’s Nashville Pussy, who kicked off the event, running at 100 miles an hour and never stopping. The cowpunk band is always fun to watch.

We last saw the band in May 2019, noting, “The band is led by husband-wife duo Blaine Cartwright and guitarist Ruyter Suys, along with new drummer Ben Thomas and bassist Bonnie Buitrago, whose hair was nearly as lion-maned as Suys. “Who wants some Pussy?” Cartwright asked after tuning up, beginning the set with 2005’s ‘Pussy Time’, in case anyone in the crowd didn’t realize what time it actually was. Suys and Buitrago were flowing masses of head banging hair and the band, realizing they were behind schedule, barely took a breath between the first several songs.”

Next up was Reverend Horton Heat (guitarist/singer Jim Heath, upright bassist Jimbo Wallace, drummer Jonathan Jeter), who played the entire Liquor in the Front album, with the exception of “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin (this ragtime piano song would be more like an outro to play in the background when you leave the stage).

Liquor in the Front was RHH’s first album under Sub Pop (who became a superstar label when they signed Nirvanna in 1988) and RHH’s song “In Your Wildest Dreams” appeared in various TV shows at that time period. When they played this song at First Avenue, everyone in the audience screamed back “cha cha cha!” as they closed out the song.

Jim Health, smiling and clearly happy, felt they had to re-do the ending of the song, to get everyone in the audience had to chance to say “cha cha cha!” again!

Reverend Horton Heat’s set was cut a little short, because there was someone passed out in the front. The band stopped playing and asked if the person was okay. After everything was given the okay to continue, Health said that this was their last song, which was a Motörhead cover of “Ace of Spades”.

The Toadies (singer/guitarist Vaden Todd Lewis, drummer Mark Reznicek, lead guitarist Clark Vogeler, and bassist Doni Blair) closed out the night. As expected, the band played the entire Rubberneck album… but before the album, they played some classic Toadies songs… and a new song called “Closer to You”, which they are hoping they can record it for the next album.

Rubberneck was (and is) The Toadies’ most important album, originally released in 1994 on Interscope Records and earning the band RIAA gold and platinum status. Their song, “Possum Kingdom”, as well as “Away” and “Tyler”, established the band on the global stage.

Unfortunately, during the performance of “Away”, someone in the audience threw a drink and hit singer Vaden Todd Lewis. First Avenue had to find and remove that person from the venue.

If there is one Toadies show to see, this Rubberneck anniversary tour is probably the best tour to see them live. Combine that with The Reverend Horton Heat and Nashville Pussy, it’s an unbeatable tour.

Remaining tour dates:

Oct. 8 - Milwaukee, WI - Rave II^
Oct. 9 - Chicago, IL - Metro^
Oct. 11 – Indianapolis, IN – HiFi^
Oct. 12 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak^
Oct. 13 - Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues^
Oct. 14 - Covington, KY - Madison Theater^
Oct. 15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Jergel's^
Oct. 16 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza^
Oct. 19 - Boston, MA - Paradise^
Oct 20 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall^
Oct. 21 - Asbury Park, NY - Stone Pony^
Oct. 22 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts^
Oct. 23 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore^
Oct. 25 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl^
Oct. 26 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theater^
Oct. 27 - Orlando, FL - House Of Blues
Oct. 28 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room^
Oct. 29 – St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live^
Oct. 31 – House of Blues - New Orleans, Drakulas

Nashville Pussy

Nashville Pussy

Nashville Pussy

Nashville Pussy

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton Heat

Toadies

Toadies

Toadies

Toadies at First Avenue, Minneapolis (07 Oct 2022)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Sigrid at First Avenue, Minneapolis (06 Oct 2022)

Setlist It Gets Dark Burning Bridges Risk of Getting Hurt Sucker Punch Mine Right Now Thank Me Later Dancer Head on Fire Dynamite Bad Life Mistake Like You A Driver Saved My Night High Five Plot Twist Don't Kill My Vibe Strangers -- Encore -- Grow Don't Feel Like Crying Mirror Read More Sigrid Norwegian sensation Sigrid’s first headlining tour for her debut album Sucker Punch is going strong… selling out the Fine Line Music Café this Monday, September 30th. . ...

Sigrid returns to Minneapolis, touring in support of her highly anticipated second album, How To Let Go (Island Records).

Opening the show was Ber. Originally from Minnesota, Ber moved to London in 2020 to work on music. With a massive fanbase on TikTok, she caught the attention of London’s Zane Lowe and Travis Mills, who worked for Beats 1 and BBC Radio One.

Ber is back in Minnesota, living in her uncle’s basement and working on her debut EP, which she happily played for us at First Avenue. Her songs are about not being in love, dead deer that flew over her car, and terrible internet, in her song “Your Internet Sucks”.

She also played her biggest hit song, “Meant to Be”, which is a duet featuring London’s Charlie Oriain.

Before Sigrid took the stage, First Avenue played Lizzo’s “About Damn Time”, which had the audience pumped with excitement.

Sigrid (30 Sep 2019)

We caught Sigrid in Sep 2019 and wrote, “Sigrid was quite playful with her audience, as she jumped on stage to sing the title track from her debut album Sucker Punch (Island Records). Fans absolutely went crazy and singing along to her singles, and Sigrid encourage, often making funny faces and interacting with her fans.”

Now, with her anticipated second album, How To Let Go (Island Records), she decided to open her set with “It Gets Dark”. Despite being a newer song, the fans in front knew all the lyrics and sang along loudly.

It’s been a while since she was last here, so she made an effort to chat with the audience. She told us, that thanks to Ber’s suggestion, she went to check the Norway House in Minneapolis and was greeted with a ton of Norwegian snacks in a care package. Based on such positive energy, you can tell that Sigrid will return back to the Minneapolis area as soon as she can.

Tour dates:

9/13 - San Diego, CA @ HOB Voodoo Room
9/14 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
9/16 - Austin, TX @ 3Ten ACL Live
9/17 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Upstairs
9/18 - Dallas, TX @ HOB Cambridge Room
9/20 - Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
9/21 - Nashville, TN @ The End
9/23 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage
9/24 - Philadelphia, PA @ Foundry
9/27 - Boston, MA @ Sinclair
9/28 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
9/30 - Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
10/1 - Ferndale, MI @ Loving Touch
10/3 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
10/4 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
10/7 - Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
10/8 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby
10/10 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
10/11 - Portland, OR @ Holocene
10/13 - San Francisco, CA @ Popscene
10/14 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
10/15 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
10/31 - Dublin, Ireland @ Whelan's
11/5 - Manchester, U.K. @ Deaf Institute
11/8 - London, U.K. @ Lafayette
11/9 - Paris, France @ Le Pop Up du Label
11/10 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
11/12 - Colognes, Germany @ Helios37
11/13 - Hamburg, Germany @ Nochtspeicher
11/15 - Berlin, Germany @ Maschinenhaus
11/17 - Zurich, Switzerland @ Bogen F

Ber

Ber

Ber

Ber

Sigrid

Sigrid

Sigrid

Sigrid

Sigrid at First Avenue, Minneapolis (06 Oct 2022)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com