Once again Friday night was chalked full of great live music happening around the Twin Cities. As pretty much every weekend, there was no shortage of shows to catch. However, I found myself across the river from my normal Minneapolis stomping grounds at the Amsterdam Bar in St. Paul to catch Abisha Uhl’s tour kick-off show. Many might know Abisha Uhl as the front person from Sick of Sarah, but more recently she has been embarking on a solo project. Friday, Uhl kicked off her Uhl Be Fine Tour with a little help from some other great Minnesotan bands.
Warming up the stage was 5-piece rockers Creatures of Habit, hailing from just north of the Twin Cities from St. Cloud. I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about the music scene in St. Cloud but if Creatures of Habit is any indicator, I want to know more. Creatures of Habit took to the stage shortly before 9:00 pm and played a roughly 45-minute set. Their set was a mix of original songs as well as some covers that they put a unique spin. “This is definitely going to be one you all know, this for all you Jett heads,” the frontwoman said before launching into a cover of Do You Wanna Touch Me. Other covers included Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics and Cherry Bomb by The Runaways. The covers definitely had the crowd singing and dancing along, but Creatures of Habit really did shine on their own songs. A standout from the set was their new song Careless Reputation, which definitely left me wanting to see more from these guys. Strong vocals, catchy hooks and good chemistry between the band made from an engaging performance.
Uhl played through her roughly hour long set with true starpower. Calling for shots, sharing drinks with her band and the crowd, Uhl was definitely about having a good time. “This is the tour kick-off, we’re gonna go hard tonight!” she said at one point. Her playful energy and 0-fucks given attitude is contagious. There was really no way not to have fun with as much fun as Uhl and her band was having. However, Uhl seamlessly mixes a seriousness with her playfulness and feel good tunes. Uhl is supported on stage with a band that is deeply talented in their own right, and musically all blend together seamlessly – Kace on guitar, Johnny on bass and Danny on drums. The set was mainly Uhl originals, even featuring a mashup with Tumble and Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing. Uhl also did probably one of the most original covers I’ve heard, a Tiffany cover of I Think We’re Alone Now. Before the encore, Uhl closed out her set with a Jackson Cover of I Want You Back. She came back on stage to close with Autograph.
And if it wasn’t enough of a magical evening, there was even a proposal on stage to end the evening, with a little help from Uhl herself.
Minneapolis is lucky to claim Abisha Uhl as our own and are excited to see what is next after the Uhl Be Fine tour.
