Girl at the Rock Shows

It’s going to take quite some time for First Avenue to feel normal again. The hole that Conrad left in the heart of everyone who works there, all of those who go to shows night after night at the legendary club, and the performers who have come through time and time again, will never quite fill, but, one night at a time, things will become a new normal. Thursday night at First Avenue felt like a night of healing. Don’t get me wrong, it was absolutely a party as it always is when Low Cut Connie comes through town, but there were moments of dedication and heaviness sprinkled within the fun. I know it’s not fun to dwell on the past, especially when it’s tragic and heartbreaking, but there was just something so healing and so perfect about Thursday night.

I’ll be honest, I caught myself constantly staring blankly towards the spot where Conrad always stood. Between conversations with staff and friends, I couldn’t help myself, and I kept meeting eyes with the kid who was in Conrad’s spot. All I could think about was how tough it must have been to stand there knowing that spot was only vacant because of tragedy. My mind wandered to the dark corners, but thankfully, everything lightened up the second Judy Blank took the stage. Joined on stage by a fellow vocalist/guitarist, Judy Blank’s charm and talent instantly snapped me out of my own thoughts and made a way for sunshine to take over the doom and gloom.

I really mean it when I say that Judy was charming. This was my first introduction to this amazing songstress, originally from the Netherlands (now based in Nashville), and it really didn’t take me long to fall head over heels in love with her. Her lyrics matched her vocals. They were light, playful, and, for the most part, carefree; yet, there was a powerful energy behind everything she did and every word she sang. Stylistically, Judy Blank is all over the place. Sure, we could settle on just calling her a singer-songwriter, but that doesn’t do her sound justice. I loved how one song could come with a super heavy groove with folksy tendencies, but the next track would come with an infectious pop energy. It would be safe to say that Judy was an unknown to the crowd who was filtering into the room, but it would be just as safe to say that I was not the only one who instantly fell in love. Her vulnerability, combined with her talent and charm, made her a stunning way to start Thursday night’s festivities.

Unlike Judy Blank, I was definitely familiar with the next act to take the stage – Monica LaPlante. After a quick dedication to Conrad, this local band kicked into a set that both thrilled and calmed everyone in the room. Joined on stage by a whole cast of local legends, Monica had no problem captivating the clearly excited audience. Stylistically, Monica’s music is the most polished garage rock you will ever hear. It definitely has a sense of grit and grime behind it as any good garage rock band should, but there’s something about her vocals that seems a bit out of place (in a good way, of course). They come with a box of matches, with how they could start anything ablaze with the amount of passion she puts behind every word, but, at the same time, they are smooth and just so perfectly in tune. I know that being soft on the inside with rough edges is a thing, but Monica seems to flip that around. Her sound is raw and powerful, but it’s soft around the edges.

There’s life before you see Low Cut Connie live, and then after you see Low Cut Connie live. I had been living on the front side of that until I saw this band perform live for the first time last November. Now that I’m on the other side, it seems like every day I wake up counting down the days until I get to experience the magic again. Thankfully, that time finally came on Thursday night, and although I had put the night on a pedestal, I knew that they would not let me down.

I know that Low Cut Connie is not a household name (although they should be), so let me give you a quick rundown of who this band is. Fronted by Adam Weiner, Low Cut Connie is Elton John meets Bleachers with a live set that is half strip show, half second line in New Orleans. Confused? You should be! Intrigued? If you’re not, you need to check your pulse. Every Low Cut Connie show is a celebration. Even with the backdrop of Conrad’s passing on Thursday night, this band managed to make the night a complete celebration. That celebration was not just for Conrad; it was for Minneapolis, it was for the people in attendance, it was for the people in our minds, it was for the world. Sounds dramatic, I know, but there’s just something about Low Cut Connie that always feels so much larger than life. Although it may feel like just another concert when in the moment, when you walk away from a Low Cut Connie show, you realize just how impactful the whole thing really was and how much love this entire band brought to the room.

Although this entire band is absolutely amazing (not only sonically but also with the energy they bring to a stage), Low Cut Connie is Adam Weiner. I said it last time, and I will say it again: Adam is a born showman. He is what a frontman is supposed to be. Not only are his vocals flawless, and the way his fingers dance effortlessly over the ivory keys of his standup piano nothing short of hypnotizing, but Adam has this way of making you feel like you’re the only one in the room. It’s as if every word he is singing, he is singing about you. He’s not afraid to break the barrier between stage and audience with how he leans into the crowd to shake hands during songs or even leap into the small area between stage and audience to kiss fans on the head and on the hand. As if that wasn’t enough, Adam is constantly teasing the audience with his sexiness. I promise, I won’t make this weird or dwell on it, but the sexiness that exudes from this man is part of the band’s charm. Adam (and this band in general) is all about being yourself and how being yourself is the sexiest thing you can be. I mean, sure, the way this man moves his hips and the way he looks at you (and by “you”, I mean the whole audience, yet somehow it feels like it’s just you) can make even the most rigid person melt. Okay, it’s getting weird. I promised I wouldn’t do that, but I feel like this aspect of a Low Cut Connie performance is something that sets them apart from other bands, and it’s something that just adds to the energy and love that comes from seeing Low Cut Connie perform.

There’s a lot more that I could say about Low Cut Connie’s performance on Thursday night. There were many moments where the band praised the audience and mentioned how Minneapolis is a special place to them, but that was all stuff that didn’t need to be said; you could feel it throughout their performance, which went late into the night and, although I can be pretty okay with words most of the time, this is one of those times where words will never do anything I felt on Thursday night justice.

First Avenue will never be the same. Nor should it. This isn’t the first time I’ve talked about Conrad since his tragic passing earlier this week, and it surely won’t be the last. First Avenue may never be the same, but little by little, show by show, tribute by tribute, we can all start to heal. Low Cut Connie forever. Conrad forever.

Line Up:

Judy Blank

Monica LaPlante

Low Cut Connie

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 43

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- .12 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

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 1

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

Judy Blank – 0

Monica LaPlante – 3

Low Cut Connie – 1

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score –9.8 out of 10

Show on Deck —Rico Nasty / SadBoi

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