Girl at the Rock Shows

I’m finally starting to come back to life after my weekend spent in Las Vegas for the When We Were Young festival. I’m not a spring chicken anymore and my body ached so badly when I got back. I honestly could have probably used another night off to continue to get back into the swing of things but there was a show in town that I just did not want to miss so I sucked it up, gave up on the thought of making a “real dinner”, and headed out to Amsterdam Bar & Hall in downtown Saint Paul.

I was particularly excited for the opening act, All Get Out. Although I have seen them perform before, it has been awhile and, on top of that, I can’t find my past articles about this band. That being said, the few times I have seen them have always been flawless showcases of true musicianship and their set on Wednesday night was no different. Although their opening set was short at just under forty minutes long, they packed it full of emotion and perfected music. Hailing from South Carolina, All Get Out has a very distinct yet comforting sound. Vocalist Nathan Hussey has a voice that will give you chills from it’s beauty while giving you goosebumps with the raw nature of the lyrics and his delivery of said lyrics. It’s just one of those beautiful sounds that makes you feel all the things while also giving you an escape from everything in your life.

All Get Out’s set was all about the music but the band found some time to joke with the audience. From a comment about how they were asked about why they’re on this show since they only play in four-four time to letting the audience know that we all paid the right amount of money for what we were going to get from the night, the way the band bantered with the audience was perfectly understated. These comments added a sense of intimacy to an already intimate show that was capped off by moments where Nathan didn’t even use a microphone and, instead, sang directly into the crowd. Although a bit more chill than I think my exhausted mind wanted, I was lost in the beauty of this opening set and it had me thrilled that I had left the house even though I may not have wanted to.

There was a lot of chatter in the nearly sold-out audience as the stage was switched over for the second act, Delta Sleep. Out of the three acts on the bill on Wednesday, Delta Sleep was the only band I had never heard of but, clearly, I was in the minority when it came to this. Wednesday night was the UK-based band’s first time in Minnesota but, within the first few seconds of their set, it became clear that it wouldn’t be their last. Much like All Get Out and the headlining act to come, Delta Sleep’s sound perfectly dangled between tender and explosive. With smooth yet emotionally charged vocals and a drummer that could drum nearly anyone under the table, I instantly understood the hype and anticipation that had been hanging in the air for this band.

The entire band was great, don’t get me wrong, but it was drummer Blake Mostyn who got my attention the majority of Sleep Delta’s set. His drumming is truly amazing to watch. I mean, all drummers are awesome to watch and maybe that’s because I used to aspire to be a drummer but there was just something about watching Blake that was truly captivating. The way he was able to take complicated rhythms and intricate fills and do them without hesitation or any showing of stress left me speechless. I wasn’t the only one who felt trapped in Blake’s hand. One of the members of All Get Out ended up standing next to me for a couple of songs. We were situated right next to the stage and basically right by Blake giving us the perfect chance to just be mesmerized. At one point, the member of All Get Out couldn’t help himself and nudged me while explaining how amazing it was to watch the talented drummer. I couldn’t help but agree with him but also couldn’t help but love that moment. Here I was watching Delta Sleep with a member of the opening act who was just as excited to be witnessing the magic as I was. I feel like that moment says volumes about Delta Sleep more than my words ever could.

Delta Sleep made it clear that Wednesday night would not be their only visit to Minnesota. I’m not sure what their touring plans include for the future but I am sure that the second they announce another show here, I will be clearing my schedule off to go. There was just something so amazing about this band and I truly think it was more than just because it was my introduction to their sound and vibe. Delta Sleep is just one of those solid bands that will absolutely be going somewhere soon so jump on this train if you haven’t already!

Closing out the perfect Wednesday night was Rhode Island based The Dear Hunter. When people ask me to describe this band, my go to is “a dark Panic At The Disco”. Okay, go ahead and laugh but, think about it. Much like Panic At The Disco, The Dear Hunter has a very musical and theatrical quality to them. This mostly comes from Casey Crescenzo’s distinct voice but also from the layers upon layers of instrumentation that this band uses. Being able to witness and hear this magic come to life on a stage right in front of you is truly an amazing experience.

Unfortunately, Casey has been dealing with some vocal chord issues lately and, within just a couple of songs, addressed the audience apologizing for not giving everyone the flawless show that they have come to expect from this band. Honestly, had I not been following Casey’s ailment on his socials and had he not said anything to the audience, I wouldn’t have even noticed he was under the weather. Okay, maybe a little but Casey fought through it and ended up giving everyone what I thought was an amazing performance. Casey felt a bit differently and, after a couple of tracks, he started apologizing to the crowd. He explained that he wasn’t looking for pity and really just felt that performing the best that he could was a better option than cancelling and trying to reschedule. I get what he was saying but, again, felt that his voice was not at all as bad as he felt it was.

Honestly, Casey feeling a bit under the weather gave the audience a sense of charm to it that I don’t think you would have gotten otherwise. Beyond the countless apologies were moments where Casey has “thrown professionalism completely out the window” (or so he claimed). The banter he had with the audience and rest of the band was absolutely perfect. There were moments when the audience seemed to vote on if Casey should drink out of his hot tea cup or the one filled with whiskey (although the guitarist of the band was quick to point out that, in The Dear Hunter van, “tea” is actually a code-word for whiskey). A personal favorite moment of mine was when the audience was dead quiet between songs. This is a regular thing for crowds in the Twin Cities but apparently not for touring bands so Casey was quick to call out the respectfulness and ask for some shouting from the audience. People started shouting positive things like, “I Love You!” and “You Sound So Good!” Again, Casey was right there to explain that we weren’t supposed to shout out positive things, more negative. The crowd was quick to go silent again.

Those moments of pure silence and respect were an ongoing trend throughout The Dear Hunter’s set (along with the two previous sets). People had clearly been waiting a long time for this show and, even with Casey being sick, they weren’t going to miss a single moment of the night or the magic. I thought that The Dear Hunter sounded great, illness aside, and think that All Get Out was lying when they said that we had paid exactly the right price for what we were given on Wednesday night. The packed crowd definitely got more than what they had paid for and it made for the perfect night for me to ease back into the grind after a quick break.

Line Up:

All Get Out

Delta Sleep

The Dear Hunter

Venue: Amsterdam Bar & Hall

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 38

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 2 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- 0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out Kids- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Irritated I Was With The Audience – 0 out of 10

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

All Get Out– 2

Delta Sleep – 0

The Dear Hunter – 2

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score –8.9 out of 10

Show on Deck — Count Spookula / Mystery Meat / Hurt You / Ice Climber

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