Girl at the Rock Shows

Wednesday was a special day. From an outsider, it looked like any other day for me. I got up before the sun, went to work, powered through the day job, went home for a quick nap, made an uninspired dinner, got through some more work, and then headed downtown for a show. That’s my standard, so there was nothing new to any of that, but Wednesday night’s show at First Avenue was a special one. I was about to see one of my favorite bands of all time – Lucero.

Before I could be treated to the magic that is Lucero, there was an opening set from Justin Wells. Hailing from Kentucky, Wells was quick to hit the audience with not only his soulful voice but also his perfectly dry sense of humor. He quickly told the audience that he loves the Twin Cities, just not Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. He went on to talk about an ex who was from Brooklyn Park. He shouted out to the audience to see if she was in attendance. “Show yourself, it’s only fair.” This got a good laugh out of the audience before Justin plunged the crowd back into beautiful songs about everything from heartbreak to small-town living. I was hooked, but it was all. From his larger-than-life personality to his classic Southern rock voice that hit you like a one-two punch. Lucero isn’t my normal listen, but they are one of those bands that make you feel seen and loved. Justin was the same way. Although his humor was dry, the love that radiated from him throughout the set was not, making for the perfect opening act for Wednesday night’s show.

Wednesday night’s show was a rescheduled date from March. Lucero was supposed to stop by First Avenue in late March as part of a tour celebrating 20 years of ‘Nobody’s Darlings’ (arguably one of their best albums; that’s not an opinion, that’s just fact). Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn’t let it happen. A giant snowstorm hit the area, and Lucero wasn’t able to make it to town. I remember literally crying over it. I know that sounds so dramatic, but I hadn’t seen a full-band Lucero show since June of 2024. I was due for one, I needed one, and when it got postponed, it broke my heart. I was super excited when they quickly rescheduled the show, but realized that the new date wasn’t going to be part of the ‘Nobody’s Darlings’ anniversary tour anymore. Were we going to miss out on an album playthrough of the iconic 2005 album? Lucero wouldn’t really do that to Minneapolis, would they? Thankfully, no, and, almost immediately upon hitting the stage, vocalist Ben Nichols apologized for not making it up in March and told the audience that we were, in fact, going to get the album in its entirety and then some.

Okay, let’s back up a little bit and talk about Lucero. I know I’ve covered them before and have told you all my “discovery story” a few times, so I promise not to take forever on this, but Lucero is an alt-country band from Memphis. They got their start all the way back in 1998 and have been road warriors, putting out 12 full-length albums, a few live ones, and various other releases. Like I briefly mentioned, Lucero’s music is not my normal cup of tea. When people ask me who my favorite bands of all time are, Lucero always comes up, but I’m quick to point out that they are the outliers. Their country sound is not indicative of my daily playlists, but more a sign of what my heart is about. Most of their songs are sad, slow, whiskey-drinking, heartbreak kind of songs (They have some more positive, upbeat bops, but even those come drenched in emotion and heart.). That’s not always my mood. I’m not always in the mood to cry, but I am always in the mood for Lucero. Why is that? I honestly wish I knew or could articulate why. All I can say is what I already did– this band makes me feel seen, heard, and understood. This band makes me feel. Period.

As promised, Lucero powered through the twelve tracks of ‘Nobody’s Darlings.’ I absolutely loved hearing “Bikeriders” live as that’s one of my favorite songs by them, but the dazzling moment of this album was when the rest of the band left the stage with just Ben Nichols and keyboardist/ accordionist Rick Steff on stage for the final track of the album, “The War.” I’ll be honest, this isn’t my favorite song on the album. It’s a bit of a fantasy track about a young infantryman fighting in Europe during World War II. It’s loosely based on the life of Ben’s grandfather, who served from D-Day to the end of World War II. Although the imagery and storytelling presented in this song are stunning, it’s just not one of the Lucero songs that really gets me. Something about that changed on Wednesday night. Maybe it was the way the crowd was singing with a sense of gusto but also with a sense of undeniable heart, or maybe it’s the way that the Twin Cities are seemingly on the other side of a nasty war that the government called Metro Surge (that’s not me saying that what we went through here was anything like WWII, but, if you ask me, it was a war). Regardless, something about hearing this song live in the setting of the iconic First Avenue mainroom, surrounded by like-minded people who probably owe their lives to this band in one way or another, it was just pure fucking perfection. No other way to put it.

After the album playthrough, Lucero went on to play songs from all over their discography. I got to hear songs that are tried and true to my heart,, and others that I maybe skip over most of the time. I didn’t care what they were playing; all I cared about was continuing to hear their signature whiskey-drenched songs and feeling their energy deep into my soul, but all things must come to an end. I didn’t hear everything that I wanted to hear, but I did get to hear songs like “Tears Don’t Matter Much” and “Drink ‘Till We’re Gone.” There were moments throughout the night where you could find me passionately singing to every word, and others when you could find me with a firm grip around a cold drink, constantly sipping because I felt like that would keep me from ugly crying all over the place. I’m proud to report that I only cried three times on Wednesday night. Again, dramatic, if you know me or have been to a Lucero show with me in the past, you know this is quite a feat,, as the waterworks typically start instantly for me when I see this band.

I don’t know the next time I’ll get a full-band Lucero show, but I do know that I’ll be seeing a solo Ben Nichols show in the fall when he rolls back through town with Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem. I know I have a lot of shows between now and then,, but I am already counting down the days because what I felt on Wednesday night is something I just don’t get from other shows, andt I never want to stop feelin it.

There’s a line in “Nights Like These” that states, “It’s nights like these the sad songs don’t help.” When it comes to Wednesday night, those sad songs did help, and I woke up on Thursday feeling like a brand new person.

Line Up:

Justin Wells

Lucero

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 42

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Cry-ability- 11 out of 10

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

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Celebrity Sightings – Jared McCloud / The Shackletons

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

Justin Wells – 0

Lucero – Maybe like 20 or so?

Show on Deck – Trace Amount / Lunacy / Insula Iscariot

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