Icon For Hire Delights Minneapolis Fans at Skyway Studio B

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In 2016, my daughter introduced me to Icon For Hire and I was hooked pretty much right away.  I had the opportunity to photograph them that same year, but was never able to make it to a show since then.  So, when their next Minnesota show was announced at the Skyway Studio B venue and I actually was able to make it, I immediately put in to cover the show.  From what I remembered the last time, it was going to be a fun one!

While walking from the parking ramp to the venue, I realized I forgot how interesting the Twin Cities is on the weekend.  There was something going on at just about every venue in the area.  I walked into the venue and was happy to see a good number of people had already arrived.  The intimate venue is nice as fans can get up close to the bands, but as a photographer it’s a little more tricky without a barricade.  I had a choice to park it up front or use my bigger lens and walk around.  I don’t like to be stuck in one spot, so I chose the latter.

City of the Weak went on first and showed how great the show was going to be.  They always have a fun and energetic set and this one was no different!  Their section of the stage was limited and reminded me of The What’s Up Lounge stage in Mankato.  They still managed to move around and engage the crowd though.  The only tricky person to photograph was the drummer because he was back in a corner and not very well lit, but I found a spot behind a speaker to sneak my camera in to get him!  City of the Weak delivered the performance that I have come to expect and enjoy!

Next up was Amy Guess.  I hadn’t seen her live before, but I was enjoying what I had listened to online.  She was a great choice to go on second because she had a good mix of metal and pop in her music to transition to Icon For Hire.  She was very good at getting the crowd involved and there were quite a few people that knew her songs and sang along.  Amy Guess had a quicker set, but it was a fun one!

Lastly, it was Icon For Hire’s turn to take the stage after a little longer setup.  They had a lot of lights at the back of the stage, so I knew the photos were going to be interesting.  Their performance was just as I had remembered, but much more refined.  They engaged the crowd even more than the last time I had seen them and took time in between songs to tell stories about what they had been doing, (new music will be one the way!), how Ariel lived in Minneapolis for a bit and that is why she likes stopping here, and how Shawn had to spend most of the night under their trailer to fix it.  Those types of interactions really help to connect with their fans and you can really see that connection when you look around during the show.  In fact, the fans didn’t want to see them go and got them to play two more songs after the set was done.  Icon For Hire definitely put on the show that everyone had come to see and I look forward to seeing them again in the future!

As always, get out and support live performances.  I’ll see you out there!

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