Girl at the Rock Shows

One of my boyfriend’s favorite lines to pull out is “I just flew in for this show.” Okay, maybe a bit of an inside joke, and you have to know the background: he travels a lot for work and will always try to find a show to go to when on the road, but I finally got to use that line on Tuesday- well, kind of. I woke up in rural Tennessee on Tuesday morning. It was the end of an epic trip that was nothing short of life-changing, and truthfully, it was hard to leave, but the fact that I would be landing back in Minneapolis just in time to take a quick nap and then turn around and go to a true banger of a show helped me cope with the fact that I was going back on the grid after having a few relaxing days off of it. Sure, I was tired as flying; it always seems to wipe me out because of the stress and anxiety it brings me, but really, when am I not tired? I grabbed an energy drink, and we headed down to my home away from home- Zhora Darling.

I needed a punch in the face to get my energy back up and get me in the mood for a show that would surely last late into the night. Thankfully, I got that punch in the face as soon as Buio Omega took the stage. This local group has been a favorite of mine for a hot minute now, and every time I get to see them live, I feel like I’m seeing them grow as a band, with Tuesday night’s set being no exception. Instead of hearing familiar angst-driven anthems, Buio Omega hit the sold-out audience with a set full of unreleased music. If this had been any other band, it would have been a bold move. I mean, come on, it’s a sold-out show. Wouldn’t you want to play your tried-and-true tracks that have been through the wringer? When it comes to Buio Omega, that doesn’t matter because everything this group does is done with a sense of perfection. I listened and watched in awe as they powered through these unreleased tracks, and my heart sped up when vocalist Greer explained that although all the songs they were performing are currently unreleased, that will change soon, since the band was just in the studio working on their next release. I don’t know what will come first —the album or another chance to catch Buio Omega —but I know that, either way, I’m stoked and can not wait.

Even though I just saw Cheap Glue the other weekend as part of Christy Costello’s birthday party extravaganza at Grumpy’s in Northeast Minneapolis, I was so excited to spend another night with this power-pop band and see if their sound had changed at all in the few days since I last saw them. Spoiler alert: The sound didn’t change, but that just added to the perfection of their set on Tuesday night. Cheap Glue is unapologetically, well, Cheap Glue. They buck the trends and don’t care what anyone else on any given bill is doing. It’s clear that every time you see this band, they are going to give you their heart with a side dish of infectious energy that is as inescapable as it is delightful. Cheap Glue’s sound is retro. It reminds me a bit of The Pink Spiders, but also of something almost as classic as The Beatles, mixed with a relentless DIY punk-rock ethos. It’s not just a cool sound that radiates from this band; it’s a cool vibe and one that, although definitely a bit calmer than what Buio Omega had just offered, kept the audience wholly engaged and in love.

There was so much excitement and anticipation in the sold-out venue on Tuesday night and, although both of the first two bands were amazing, it was abundantly clear that that excitement and anticipation was for Dark Thoughts– the next band to grace the Zhora Darling stage. I’ll be 100% honest with you: I had never heard of this band before and, because of that, I felt guilty taking up any space in the room, as I knew this was a big deal. It wasn’t until this Philadelphia (that’s in Pennsylvania, as Paddy from the headlining act, Dillinger Four, kept saying) trio mentioned that, even though they’d been a band for fourteen years, this was their first time in Minneapolis, that I realized the true magic I was witnessing.

Dark Thoughts may have been a new name to me, but it was not a new sound. As a buddy said at the show, you may have never heard Dark Thoughts before, but you have heard them before. Okay, that may not make a lot of sense to a non-music person, but really, it’s the perfect way to describe this band. Their sound felt familiar. It was a very Ramones-styled brand of punk rock. No frills, straight-up, in-your-face energy, with the perfect hint of angst, set to a set of emotionally charged bangers that not only got your body moving but also moved your mind. This band wasn’t just playing music that made you feel welcome and comfortable; they were breathing this energy that made you feel like you had been watching them play for years on end. You didn’t feel like you were watching these three strangers from Philadelphia (in Pennsylvania) play on a stage; you felt like you were watching three of your best friends just hanging out. It just so happens that those three friends are incredibly gifted and talented musicians. I may have walked into Dark Thoughts’ set on Tuesday with very few thoughts at all, but I definitely left with a love and obsession over this band, and I can not wait to dig into what they have to offer a bit more as we go through the rest of this week.

Truthfully, Dark Thoughts should have headlined this show. Not only did they sound on point and flawless, but the crowd’s reaction was deafening and super excited. That’s not to say that the audience wasn’t excited as Dillinger Four took the stage to close out the night, but, like Paddy of Dillinger Four said (and I’m paraphrasing here), “Who in their right mind would want to follow Dark Thoughts?!” I think that had this show been any other place in the country, the hype would have been over Dillinger Four, but these are our hometown boys, and we get a lot of chances to see this band in some very cool settings. That’s not me saying they over play, that’s not at all the case, but it’s more that, when up against a band like Dark Thoughts, it’s hard to keep in mind that Dillinger Four are as legendary of a band as they are, especially when you can see members of this band hanging out around town. But I digress. I was excited to see Dillinger Four regardless and braced myself for impact as they kicked into their set.

In true local D4 show fashion, Paddy was already a few sheets to the wind by the time the set started and, after a little speech about just how god damn amazing Dark Thoughts is and was, led this four-piece into a set of messy punk anthems. I’ll be honest, this wasn’t the best D4 set I’ve seen, but it had an insane amount of heart. It was a Tuesday night and, again, as “loudmouth Paddy” (there were times during the set where it felt like Paddy spent more time just chatting with the audience than actually singing) kept on pointing out, this all feels a bit silly to be out on a Tuesday night, but they did this show because Dark Thoughts deserved a banger introduction to the Twin Cities music scene, and that’s something that D4 does right every time. Sure, maybe attention to detail wasn’t the main point of Tuesday night, but heart and passion were, and Dillinger Four definitely brought both of those things in spades. Whether it was an old classic or a new anthem that this band was playing, they were doing it with all their might and all of the smiles, and, sloppy or not, that made Tuesday night a stunning set and was the perfect way to ease me back into the local scene and back into civilization.

I went off the grid for the past couple of days, and it was lovely. I spent my days in a treehouse-style Airbnb with little more than a hot tub, fire pit, and the great outdoors. It definitely wasn’t my speed, and I was definitely far out of my element, but it was the perfect getaway. Coming back to reality was a bit rough, and I know Wednesday, as I sort through emails I couldn’t get to over the weekend, is going to be insane, but I’m glad I made it back to the Twin Cities just in time for this banger of a show. It was definitely a perfect way to come back to real life.

Line Up:

Buio Omega

Cheap Glue

Dark Thoughts

Dillinger Four

Venue: Zhora Darling

Smell-O-Meter: Sweat and BO

Average Age of the Crowd: 38

Crowd Surfers- 4

Stage Divers- 5

Mosh-ability- 8 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $4.71

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Bodies and Drinks

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Celebrity Sightings – Members of Surrogates / Dead on Board

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

Buio Omega – 4

Cheap Glue – 2

Dark Thoughts – 0

Dillinger Four – 18

Show on Deck – Big Big Brain! / Third Date / Admiral Fox / We Are The Willows

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