Girl at the Rock Shows

It had been ten days since I was in downtown Minneapolis for a concert. That’s a weird feeling. I mean, it shouldn’t be, but lately, I have been downtown at First Avenue or the 7th Street Entry at least twice a week. It felt refreshing to get back to it, and although I still have an obnoxious tickle in my throat and a slightly stuffy head, I wasn’t going to miss the show on Wednesday night or go another day without the familiar sights, sounds, and smells that make First Avenue such a treat and a treasure.

Keeping Flying got the three-band show started in, truly, the most perfect way. This band is larger than life with an incredibly bombastic and massive sound, but their charm is in the personalities that shine from the stage. My eyes were darting across the stage throughout their opening set, just trying to catch it all, but the truth is, there was no way to catch everything this band was doing. From the trombone to the sax to the more traditional guitar, bass, drums, and vocals, there was just so much happening, and everything felt like a party. There was something freeing and quite spontaneous about this band, but, at the same time, each of their ska-fueled pop-punk jams came off as perfectly rehearsed and brilliantly curated.

Keep Flying is from the East Coast with no true connection to the Twin Cities (at least not that I know of), but they were treated like royalty, and rightfully so. Seeing this band live will make you an instant fan. Watching them feels more like watching some friends mess around on a stage and coming to terms with the fact that those friends are also killer musicians. I know I’m going in circles at this point, but I honestly can not understate how much fun this band was and how they instantly felt at home to me. Keep Flying’s set was one of those sets where I wish I could capture the feeling and energy in the air in a mason jar to keep for one of those not-so-good days in my life.

Up next was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Eternal Boy. It has honestly been a hot minute since I have interacted with this band in any way, but I have not forgotten about them since first checking them out with their album ‘Bad Days Are Over’ (check out that review HERE!). Although Eternal Boy’s set felt a bit subdued when compared to the explosion of sound that was Keep Flying, this trio held their own giving the packed and still growing audience their unique and catchy brand of pop-punk. Their songs were anthemic and powerful, keeping the party feel of Wednesday night going so perfectly, but there was also no denying the heart this band laid out on the stage. It felt like they had everything to prove and nothing to lose, but in my mind, Eternal Boy had already proved themselves. With multiple albums out there and an extensive touring resume, Eternal Boy is one of those hard-working bands that I just know will be a household name sooner rather than later (even if it takes a bit more grinding, but this band can do it, and they will).

Speaking of household names– headlining the Wednesday night show was the one and only Bowling For Soup from Wichita Falls, TX. Maybe you don’t know their name, but you absolutely know their songs. From “1985” to “Girl All The Bad Guys Want”, Bowling For Soup has been a mainstay in the pop-punk scene and, since 1994, has been putting out some of the best and most hilarious tracks while continuously touring and being out there. Long story short, I look up to this band. They have stuck with their gut over the years, and although I’m sure it’s been a rollercoaster ride, they have continued to light up rooms across the world, with their performance on Wednesday night being no exception.

It was a bit weird to see this band come in the form of a trio. Unfortunately, guitarist Chris Burney had to sit on this tour. As the rest of the band put it, “We will not be enlisting a guitar player… You cannot replace a legend.” I love this so much because it’s the truth. Every member of this band brings a particular and poignant personality to the music and the stage, so trying to bring someone who wasn’t Chris would have absolutely messed up the vibe a wee bit. On top of that, Bowling For Soup is a force, and I knew, in my heart of hearts, that they could give just as good of a performance as a trio, and I was right.

Wednesday night’s show was part of a tour celebrating the 20-year anniversary of their album ‘A Hangover You Don’t Deserve.’ The set started with playing the album in its entirety. Instead of saving one of their biggest hits, “1985,” for the end of the set, the band played this song third as it appears on the album. Vocalist Jaret Reddick acknowledged that this could lead to a mass exodus of people who were at the show purely to see that one song, but when all was said and done with that third track, nobody moved for the door. Bowling For Soup had the large audience caught and under their spell of jokes, infectious tracks, and heart.

Wednesday night was far from my first time seeing Bowling For Soup perform live, and I truly hope it wasn’t my last. Bowling For Soup are the kings of the pop-punk era that I grew up in– the era of music that made me who I am today. Seeing legends like that on a stage that I now call home away from home led to a truly fantastic Wednesday night.

Line Up:

Keep Flying

Eternal Boy

Bowling For Soup

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 38

Crowd Surfers- None Spotted

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 4 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing Spotted

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 2

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

Keep Flying – 0

Eternal Boy – 0

Bowling For Soup – 6

Celebrity Sightings – Joe of Space Monkey Mafia

Overall Score – 9 out of 10

Show on Deck — Still Woozy / Michelle

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