After having dinner, I was surprised to see a line slowly crawling down the sidewalk to get into the show as I didn’t expect it to be that busy. Not due to the musical talent present tonight, but the fact that it was a Thursday night. I’m typically a homebody during the week, but getting out every once and a while is fun. I also have to keep reminding myself that I’m in a big city now, and most people here don’t let the typical “work week grind” bother them. The sun was shining, the weather was nice, and what more could you ask for than to listen to some great tunes by Bruno Major to prep yourself for the weekend ahead.
Upon entering 7th Street Entry I grabbed a drink and proceeded to find my spot on the floor. The crowd was definitely a younger one, but there was the seldom individual that fell into the age group of 25 and over. Eloise started the evening about ten minutes to 9 p.m. wowing the audience with her amazing voice, and strictly acoustic set. Being relatively new to the music scene a lot of her songs are available through her Instagram or one can take a listen to them on SoundCloud. Eloise and Bruno Major met after Eloise had created a cover of one of Major’s songs and posted it to her Instagram. Major found her video, and eagerly asked Eloise to join his band after hearing the talent it encompassed. When playing in Major’s band Eloise plays the keys. It was fun to see an artist that is up and coming, and even more so to see someone getting support from another talented individual. Eloise played a total of five songs for her set some of which being “Left Side”, “You Dear”, and “Hungover”.
Major came onto the stage around 9:20 p.m. with a very warm welcome from the crowd. Shortly after getting comfortable he announced that this was his first time in Minneapolis, and this seemed to create a comradery with the fans as everyone wanted to make his experience an enjoyable and memorable one. Starting the night with “Wouldn’t Mean A Thing” one could tell Major was there to impress, and share his unique talent with everyone that was willing to be there last night. Throughout the evening Major played songs such as “Like Someone In Love”, Fair-Weather Friend, “Cold Blood”, “There’s Little Left”, and “Easily”.
The compilation of songs that Major chose to play last night mostly came from his album, “A Song For Every Moon”, which consists of 12 songs that he wrote monthly over the span of a year. Each month he would push himself to tap into his emotions, and create a new song resembling something that he was going through at that given time regardless of whether it was a happy or sad moment. While explaining his album Major stated that at about the six-month mark of his journey he realized he seemed to forget how to write a song, and this was a struggle for him. After about three or four days of going through this uncertainty he sat down at his piano, and the song he created that day ended up being his favorite song from the album. The song he created that day was, “Just The Same”. I thought it was really great that Major chose to share this moment with fans as I think anyone that has some sort of artistic capability experiences these moments time and time again throughout their journey. I think it’s important to realize the hard work, dedication, and difficulties that truly go into someone’s passion.
Throughout his set Major also shared that writing songs is one of his favorite things as writing in general, let alone writing songs means a lot to him. A substantial amount of the time most songs are about past relationships and show a reflection of the environment for which it was created. A reflection of the relationship environment whether that be past, present, or future love. Simply narrowing down to life being about love, and love alone. Prior to playing his song, “Places We Won’t Walk”, Major shared a heartwarming story of how his Aunt and Uncle were supposed to come see him perform and his Uncle ended up passing away the day of his show. His family ended up going to the funeral, and then everyone surprised him at his show. In this moment, he realized that “Places We Won’t Walk” had a different meaning altogether, and this was very eye opening for him making him enjoy the song that much more. You tend find inspiration, and courage at the strangest times in life – when you least expect it.
For Major’s encore he introduced his band members, Eloise (keys), Henry Guy (bass guitar), and Sven Gabriel (drums). Eloise and Major sang “Second Time” as a duet before Guy and Gabriel came onto stage to join them. Upon joining Major played a cover of Drake’s, “Hold On, We’re Going Home”, which included an incredible drum solo from Gabriel. In closing, Major finished the night with, “Home”, eagerly thanking fans for coming out to join him. Overall, I was impressed by last night as I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I think this was probably one of the most relatable shows I’ve been to as Major really tried to draw a connection with the crowd in one way or another. This is the second time he’s been on tour in North America, and I wish him the best in his remaining stops.
