Girl at the Rock Shows

Since I’ve started getting deeper into concert photography, I have been working on a list of the bands I want to photograph live. The list ranges from bands that I’ve listened to for years, bands that I know nothing about, and even some that I genuinely dislike the music of, but there’s something about them that I want to capture. Maybe it’s an insane and theatrical live show, or perhaps it’s more subdued, and I just really want to capture the fire that I write about night after night. Regardless, there’s a list, and I got to cross Low Cut Connie off that list after seeing them on Thursday night at First Avenue.

Nashville-based, Minnesota-raised Fimone was the first stunning act to take the legendary First Avenue mainstage on Thursday night. Fimone and her band instantly had me stuck in the palm of their hands. The sound was a little bit blues with a slight country twang and a healthy dose of rock energy. It was the kind of song and performance that instantly caught you and took your mind off of whatever had been on it previously. There was a fire behind everything Fimone and her band did on stage, but it was the fire that warms your heart, not the kind that makes you want to go crazy. At the same time, there was no denying the beautiful energy that flowed throughout the venue during her set.

Although I had never heard of Fimone prior to seeing her perform on Thursday night, there was something so stunningly raw and vulnerable about her music and the delivery of said music that made me feel like I had known this woman for years. Although her words were profound, there was an air of mystery around them, adding this cool aura to an already stunningly beautiful set. Sure, I knew nothing about Fimone before her set on Thursday and still know next to nothing about her, but I felt that I connected with her and her music on a deep level through her performance on Thursday night, and I can’t wait to dig in a bit more.

Four-piece Swiss American, Pittsburgh-based Sweat was up next. I was intrigued to check this band out. Although I had never heard them or their music before (sensing a trend here?), I had spent a lot of my day interacting with them on social media. They came off as approachable, fun, and honest, and I was excited to see if their music mirrored that. Spoiler alert: it did. As soon as the members came out on the stage, I started judging (in a good way, of course). From the velvet pantsuit being worn by vocalist Sue Pedrazzi to the dazzling glitter top on drummer Kayla Schureman, I couldn’t quite figure out what I was going to get from this band, but I expected it to be theatrical, a bit over-the-top, and very interesting.

I got a couple of those right. Although they didn’t have the theatrics I thought they may have purely based on their outfits, Sweat took the stage and instantly transported the packed audience to another time. The problem is, I couldn’t tell you what that time was. There was definitely a 70s psych-rock influence in their music, but there were more modern indie-pop moments that juxtaposed those more retro and vintage sounds. Think Greta Van Fleet but with a bit more heart, passion, and fire (yeah, yeah, go ahead and judge me; I just don’t like Greta Van Fleet). It was the kind of music that, like that of Fimone, melts all of your worries and stresses away instantly. Although the band wasn’t doing anything super over the top or theatrical, there was something about every member of this band that I could not take my eyes off of. I spent most of Sweat’s set scanning the stage to avoid missing a single move while getting completely wrapped up in their unique and fun sound. Long story short, it was the perfect warm-up act to the chaos that was about to ensue.

Okay, when I use the word chaos in this review, I do not mean it in the same way I do when I’m talking about a band like Gwar or Drain. I mean it in a way that can only be connected with the one and only Low Cut Connie. The music of Low Cut Connie is bombastic, it’s retro, it’s fun, it’s fresh– basically, it’s the kind of music that makes you feel good from your head to your toes, making them the perfect set to close out my two-fer Thursday night of concerts. Honestly, I thought Low Cut Connie was a local band as they seem to be all the rage with many people I know here, but it quickly became clear that they just love this town and, because of that, give everything they have when they perform here with Thursday being no exception.

Frontman Adam Weiner is a true frontman. He had the theatrics that I thought I was going to get from Sweat but took them to a whole new level. From the way he would stand on his upright keyboard that was placed right at the center of the stage to the way he interacted with the crowd and teased them with not only his voice but his sensual dance moves (that also came off as a bit funny but you just had to be there for me describing them to make sense). Add the rest of the band that all brought spice to the stage and speakers, and we were left with a larger-than-life show for an understated Thursday night.

Although it was late, and I knew I had a crap ton of photos to go through, two reviews to write, and a full day of my other jobs ahead of me on Friday, I couldn’t leave Low Cut Connie. I was addicted within the first song– addicted to the music, addicted to the energy, addicted to Low Cut Connie. I really can’t explain it, but I can say that as I went through my photos this morning and found myself reliving all of the moments in those photos, I couldn’t scrub the smile that stretched from ear to ear.

I had wanted to cover this show because I had always wanted to get that iconic shot of Adam standing with one foot on the piano bench and the other on the ivory keys, but this show ended up being so much more than that. I left First Avenue with a few new obsessions and a promise that I will never miss another Low Cut Connie show, whether or not I’m “working” or just there for pleasure because, at the end of the day, everything about Low Cut Connie’s sound and performance is a pleasure and an honor to experience.

Line Up:

Fimone

Sweat

Low Cut Connie

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 42

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 2 out of 10

Broken Bones- None Spotted

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

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

Fimone – 0

Sweat – 0

Low Cut Connie – 1

Celebrity Sightings – Ann of Mostly MN Music / Front Row Paul

Overall Score – 9.4 out of 10

Show on Deck — Unstable Shapes / Pew Pew / Engine Summer / Battery Eyes

Shameless Self Promotion:

Join My Patreon Here!

Buy Me a Coffee (Seriously!)

Check Out My New Playlist With All of My Favorite Songs HERE!