Girl at the Rock Shows

What do Minneapolis, MN, Austin, TX, Los Angeles, CA, and Seattle, WA have in common? They will be home to Jukebox the Ghost playing three albums over the span of three nights. I’ll be honest, I feel like Minneapolis sticks out as a bit of a sore thumb among those super big cities but why question a good thing? Ever since I saw Jukebox the Ghost at The Varsity Theater in May of 2018, I’ve been craving the chance to see them again, and the fact that they would be playing three consecutive nights seemed a bit like the concert God’s way of apologizing for making me wait so long. Unfortunately, I could only make it to the first of three nights, but, hot dang, Jukebox the Ghost made it hard for me to stick with my initial plans for nights two and three.

Opening up the night was local songstress Jillian Rae. I know I just saw and reviewed Jillian last week (read that review HERE!), but that didn’t stop me from getting excited as she and her bubbly personality took the stage at The Fine Line on Thursday night. Instead of being backed by an entire rock band, Jillian was solely joined by a guitarist. At first, I was a bit nervous. Was Jillian’s set going to have the same effect on me as a more scaled-back one as her full band shows do? I worry too much; I know this. A woman like Jillian Rae can do it all, and she made that abundantly clear with her quick thirty-minute set.

Although the songs she played were definitely a bit more lowkey than when she plays with a full band, her signature brand of fire and whimsy burned a hole through the quickly growing audience. The lack of drums and other instrumentation gave her flawless vocals and charming personality to really shine. Although she joked to the audience about how they should go ahead and just imagine a full band behind her, I instantly wanted more of her scaled-back performances. I love how, in the span of just over a week, I’ve seen two sides of this musician, and each side is more charming than the last. Don’t worry. I’m not going to be covering Jillian again next week (at least, I don’t think I will be), but I will be writing more and more about this woman, so just do yourself a favor and check her out for yourself.

Who does Jukebox the Ghost thing they are playing three consecutive nights and played full album playthroughs each night even though, honestly, they are far from a household name? They are Jukebox the Ghost, and that’s all that matters. This power-pop trio has been doing their thing since 2003, and although they may not be a household name, they absolutely have a devoted following that supports their antics like this. I am far from a devout fan. I enjoy the group but don’t really follow them because I find their music just a bit too happy for me the majority of the time, but even with that said, I couldn’t help but feel such a sense of joy for these three men as they kicked off this tour here in Minneapolis. 

The members of Jukebox the Ghost wrote their first album ‘Let Live & Let Ghosts’ back in 2008 when they were in college. Although a million things have changed since then, the way they played through this debut album on Thursday night with a sense of determination but also fun was terrific. After the opening track, the band took a brief pause only to have the audience start shouting at vocalist/keyboardist Ben Thornewill that his vocals were too quiet. I’ll admit, they were quiet but it was how the band reacted to this news that really made my heart flutter in a way. Instead of blaming the sound staff or moving on without fixing it, the band took a second to joke about it. Drummer Jesse Kristin and guitarist/ vocalist Tommy Siegel joked about how, yeah, things sounded a bit off. Thornewill then came clean, saying, yeah, he felt it was off too, but he isn’t feeling the greatest, so he figured it was just that bad. He then went on to offer to the audience that the band would re-play the song later on in the set. Although I don’t recall that ever happening, I loved how this moment broke the barrier between the audience and the stage. From there on out, Jukebox the Ghost’s set had an intimate feeling that truly made the night special.

Not only did the band play through their twelve-song debut album, but they also slid in some other tracks at the end. Being not a die-hard fan like many of those in the audience, I couldn’t tell you what songs they were or where they came from, but I can tell you that each song came with a sense of equal playfulness and professionalism. The one song I did recognize was the group’s cover of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” from Queen. I feel like not only was this a perfect song choice for this group, but they handled the cover perfectly by paying homage to the original while also adding their own little spice and everything nice to the track.

Jukebox The Ghost’s conquest of the Twin Cities continues on Friday night and Saturday night. As mentioned, I already have other shows I have committed to, so I can’t make it, but if you’re looking for a show to give you a smile and a reason to break out your dancing shoes, I highly suggest you find a way to make it out to The Fine Line to catch this fantastic band continue to play through their first three albums.

Line Up:

Jillian Rae

Jukebox the Ghost

Venue: Fine Line

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 22

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 0 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)-

Jillian Rae – 2

Jukebox the Ghost – 1

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8 out of 10

Show on Deck —Twin Citizen / AirLands / Joe Bartel / Larry Wish

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