I’m notorious for going to multiple concerts in one night. Some people think I’m crazy for doing it but I think it’s just smart! Why stand at a show that you really don’t like when you can walk down the block to see something completely different and something that you enjoy! Then, when that show has a crappy band pop up, you can go back to the original venue or go somewhere else altogether! Crazy? Nah, just trying to see as much live music as humanly possible. This can also backfire though. What if you start falling in love with one band but have to bounce back to the other venue to catch someone else but you end up hating that band. Then, not only did you waste your energy getting to this crappy set, now you’ve missed what could have been the best set of the week. Life is hard when you’re addicted to concerts.

I was super excited to see The Wombats play at First Avenue last night. I have been a fan of theirs for awhile now. I mean, come on, they have a line in one of their songs that says, “Girls and boys and marsupials.” If you can fit the word “marsupials” into your song, you automatically win in my book!

I was a little less excited to see Holy White Hounds play at 7th Street Entry. These guys have a few things working against them. First, and most importantly, they’re from my hometown in Iowa. Not much more needs to be said other than that. Secondly, they have one hit song on the radio (which I do really love) but usually that means the crowd is bored throughout the set until they hear that one song and that leads to the band being a bit lame.

If you aren’t familiar with venues up here, 7th Street Entry is right next door the First Avenue… literally in the same building. There’s even a door connecting the two venues through the inside so bouncing between the two is super easy to the point where you don’t even have to step foot outside.

I get terrible anxiety at shows alone. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love going to shows alone. It makes me feel alive! But at the same time, it’s always nerve racking to me even though there’s no reasons for the anxiety. When I’m working two shows in one night the anxiety is super bad. I mean, what if I’m at one show, head to the other one just to find out that my name isn’t on the guest list or that it’s sold out so I can’t get a ticket. What if my spot has been taken by people? Where am I supposed to stand? What if I get to the second show of the night but then end up missing a band completely at the other show. Ugh!

I started last night at the Entry so I wouldn’t have to stand in line for the First Avenue show longer than I had to. The opener was The Whiskey Rock N Roll Club from right here in Minneapolis. Their set was full of bluesy/ southern rock anthems that got the crowd warmed up for what was to come. Their music was fun and they were fun to watch.

Second up was Tabah, another local Minneapolis group. This group still had that bluesy rock feel but what impressed me the most about this group was the vocalist. Cecelia, the singer, had one of the most intriguing voices I have heard in a good while. It was cool, calm and collected but had so much passion behind it it was hard for me to leave and go check out Coast Modern (the opener for the Wombats) up in the mainroom (aka First Avenue). I reluctantly left my corner after only a handful of songs for Tabah but I will definitely be checking them out again!

I got into the mainroom just in time for Coast Modern (the sole opener for The Wombats) to start. I fretted about getting to my normal spot hidden under the stairs right next to the stage but ended up with a decent spot towards the back which gave me easy access to get back to the Entry. Thank God for that because after a couple of songs I was bored with Coast Modern and headed back to the other show. Sure, Coast Modern sounded fine. Their upbeat-surf-pop music was fun and easy to dance along to but it was boring to watch.

As I walked back into the Entry I was hit with so much energy I had to catch my breath. The Unlikely Candidates were on stage. Their music was still along the lines of bluesy rock but there was something different about this band. The singer was all over the place as he danced around the stage and eventually down in the crowd. They were fun to watch and easy to listen to. I caught myself getting into them a little too much and quickly lost track of time. After a couple of songs, I looked down at my phone to realize I had literally 2 minutes to find a spot in the mainroom for The Wombats.

Leaving the Entry during The Unlikely Candidates’ set was truly one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make regarding a show in awhile. I loved them so much and didn’t want to miss a second but, as I said at the beginning, I was super excited to see The Wombats and definitely didn’t want to miss any of their set. I rushed into the mainroom to find it absolutely packed. I pushed through the helpless concert newbies (pretty sure none of the people around me had ever been to a show before) to reach my spot under the stairs and prepared myself for what was sure to be a great set.

The Wombats got on, started playing and within minutes I was bored. Sure, they sounded great. The music was on point and I was singing along to the songs but something was off. There was no passion coming off of that stage. They were jumping around and that was great and all but it just didn’t seem natural. It seemed like they were trying too hard or weren’t trying at all.

I thought long and hard. Maybe I just wasn’t feeling it because I was so curious about what was happening at the Entry. Maybe it was the crowd that had me annoyed. I mean, the second the band came out I’m pretty sure I blew an eardrum due to the screeching girls (I even had my earplugs in). Something was off and, no matter what I did to try and get into it, I just couldn’t. After feeling disappointed for a few songs, I pushed my way through the crowd again and got back into the Entry just in time to hear Holy White Hounds play their hit song Switchblade that I absolutely love.

The second I walked into the Entry I was hit with that familiar energy of a damn good show. I assumed my position back by the soundboard and in the corner (yes, I always stand in the same spots when I’m alone at a show… whatever… judge me) and quickly found myself getting lost in everything. The band played their hit song and just as I had suspected, the crowd went nuts and was singing along to every word. Honestly, I thought it was going to annoy me but the band played the song so flawlessly that I couldn’t help but sing along with everyone else around me.

I was able to catch a few other songs from these guys and can tell you that these guys are definitely more than just that one song. They were great. Each song had a different feeling to it but each one sounded polished and was full of energy. I was hitting myself on the inside for missing a single song from these guys but that’s just the downfall of trying to do two shows in one night. I’m glad I caught what I could from Holy White Hounds and truly can’t wait to see what happens in the future for these boys from boring old Iowa!

Going to two shows in one night is a lot. It’s a lot of stress, a lot of running back and forth between venues, a lot of checking set times on Twitter and a lot of music. Last night was the kind of night I live for.

How many shows did you go to last night?

Lineups:

Mainroom: Coast Modern// The Wombats

Entry: Whiskey Rock & Roll Club// Tabah// The Unlikely Candidates// Holy White Hounds

Venue: First Avenue & 7th Street Entry

Sausage Fest Meter- Entry: 7 out of 10// Mainroom: 5 out of 10

Average Age of the Crowd- Entry: 25// Mainroom: 12

Crowd Surfers- Entry: None// Mainroom: None

Stage Divers- Entry: None// Mainroom: None

Danceability- Entry: High// Mainroom: High

Broken Bones- Entry: None// Mainroom: None

Drunkards Taken Out By Security- Entry: None// Mainroom: None

Overall Score- Entry: 7.5 out of 10// Mainroom: 3 out of 10

Show on Deck- Minneapolis Toxic Air Festival