Beatopia ascended upon Minneapolis Monday evening, crowding as many people as possible into First Avenue’s mainroom. At only 22-years old, Beabadoobee has released two studio albums, 5 EP’s, toured with The 1975, Halsey and in 2023, Taylor Swift, and has managed to sell out headlining shows in cities across the world. London based singer-songwriter and guitar player extraordinaire, Bea’s talents and catchy songs have earned her millions of streams and endless TikToks with the soundtrack of her music.
Heading into First Ave on a Monday night I never know what to expect but when I arrived a few minutes before the opener I was surprised to see it more full than I have in quite a while. Being a TikTok sensation means a major Gen Z fan base, but there were more than just teenagers and college students excited for the show.
Up first was Lowertown, a band on the same label as Beabadoobee, who after a few songs, stated that this was their second time playing First Ave in the past year – previously on tour with Wet Leg. The set started out with lead singer Olivia Osby on stage alone, barefoot and seemingly a bit nervous. After a few lines in, she restarted, stating that this was the first time she’d performed the song. Soon after the remainder of the band joined onstage, they played in anticipation of what was to come, it almost reminded me of a slow clap that turns into applause. The crowd was super receptive of everything going on and made it known through loud cheers and lots of dancing. It was clear that Lowertown had made an impact on Minneapolis and having played a major venue here twice in one year, we can only hope they play here again soon.
Having not seen Bea since she opened for Clairo way back in 2019 (my first show for Twin Cities Media) it was amazing to see how far she has come and get a small look into the success that she is going to continue to have. Beatopia is a place for everyone, for me, it’s a place where I feel at home, which is exactly what a concert should feel like.
