Bishop Briggs Plays a SOLD OUT Mainroom with Local Favorites Yam Haus

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Photos by Emily Hoffmann.

“It’s not every morning you get a call from First Avenue to play a sold-out mainroom,” said Yam Haus frontman Lars Pruitt. And isn’t that the truth. It was a whirlwind of a Friday with Yam Haus being added to Go96.3 GoShow lasts minute. “We know you’re all here to see Bishop Briggs and so are we. We have one job tonight and that is to have a good time and make sure you do too,” Pruitt went on.

Scheduled opener for Friday night’s GoShow, Virginia-native Matt Maeson sadly had to drop out of the bill last minute due to a lost voice. “Sad to say I have to cancel my show supporting @thatgirlbishop in MN tonight. I’ve been sick the last week and I have pushed through every show but I barely made it through last night. Can’t tell you how bummed I am to have to do this,” Maeson posted on Twitter. Fans were quick to pour out love & support for Maeson on Twitter and we are truly looking forward to having him back in the Twin Cities very soon.

After stepping up last minute, Yam Haus put on one hell of a show in front of a highly sold out First Avenue Mainroom. Yam Haus was the perfect addition to the bill in light of Maeson’s absence. And even better – they’re local. Yam Haus is Lars Pruitt (vox, guitar), Seth Blum (guitar), Zach Beinlich (bass) and Jake Felstow (drums). We’ve had the chance to catch Yam Haus around town before, like their set with other local favs Whosah at the Entry back in February. But there is something special about getting to watch four local guys take the stage on a major national tour like Bishop Briggs. The excitement felt in the crowd for Yam Haus was shared by the guys themselves. “This is crazy for us, we’ve never played this stage before so this absolutely amazing,” Pruitt said in between songs.

Their set featured their infectiously catchy, feel-good, pop punky tunes including the earworms West Coast and Get Somewhere. They also sprinkled in perfect cover of Space Jam. Yes – as in Space Jam from the 90s classic Space Jam, Yam Haus is set to release their debut full length album in June. From start to finish Yam Haus had the crowd going absolutely wild – which is no small feat at a show like Bishop Briggs. Sure, the majority of the crowd might not have known who Yam Haus was before last night but it’s safe to say they just made a lot of new fans right here in Minneapolis. Be sure to follow Yam Haus on social media & check out some of their upcoming shows around the cities this summer.

The darling of the evening herself was of course Los Angeles-based pop goddess Bishop Briggs. A few years ago it’s safe to say most people didn’t know who Bishop Briggs was, but in the past year or so Sarah Grace McLaughlin aka Bishop Briggs has been making waves in the world of pop music in a major way. Bishop Briggs was born in London before moving to Bishopbriggs, Scotland – which inspired her stage name. From there, she moved to Tokyo with her family where she sang in a karaoke bar for the first time. Eventually she moved to Los Angeles to pursue music full time. Bishop Briggs worldly and ecclectic background is defintely felt in her music in a big way. Bishop Briggs is helping to usher in a new era of what a female pop artist looks like in a major way. And no – not in appearance but in her sound and vulnerability as an artist. She is gritty and real, she is feisty and fun, she is energetic and serious. She is helping to break that one-dimensional view of women in music that they are there to just entertain or look a certain way. I was chatting with a woman in between sets and she shared the sentiment that it’s just refreshing to see more and more female artists headlining major shows like the one at First Avenue on Friday. We feel lucky at Twin Cities Media to cover such a gamut of artists but for many, it’s still rare to see a female headliner like Bishop Briggs. That energy was felt throughout the crowd on Friday as well, whether spoken or just sensed.

In addition to Bishop Briggs refreshing female presence, she brings just a contagious energy to her show. There wasn’t a person in the crowd not dancing or smiling or singing along to Bishop Briggs dark-pop songs (ok except maybe some of the parental guardians accompanying the under 18 crowed). “You guys, this is absolutely insane. It feels so good to be in Minneapolis,” Bishop Briggs said during her set. And you could tell she really meant it. There was no shortage of good vibes to go around at First Avenue on Friday and that was clearly felt by both Bishop Briggs and the crowd.

So although the night started off with some bummer news with the opener dropping out, both Yam Haus and Bishop Briggs came together and made it a show to remember. Bishop Briggs continues her tour on Sunday in Concord, CA. 

Setlist: White Flag / Wild Horses / Tempt My Trouble / The Way I Do / Be Your Love / Lyin’  Never Tear Us Apart (INXS cover) / Water / The Fire / Hallowed Ground / Dream / Hi Lo (Hollow) / Encore: Baby / River

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