Jxdn Riles Up The Fillmore During His First Headlining Minnesota Show

I don’t have TikTok. I don’t want TikTok. Sure, my friends will send me some short clips every now and then but I honestly just don’t have the time to spend mindlessly scrolling another social media site and, if I downloaded it, that’s exactly what would happen so I’ve just avoided it. That being said, I understand the power that the app has. Although I have my own opinion on TikTok stars and may or may not think that there is no longevity in careers launched by the app, there’s something special about going to see a TikTok star live in concert so that’s why I found myself at The Fillmore in Minneapolis on Saturday night.

Although Meet Me @ The Altar definitely seemed a bit out of left field compared to the other two acts, this opening band instantly had me falling in love. Okay, maybe I was in love with this band before they even took the stage but their live show was everything I could have asked for from this young pop-punk band. They came to the stage with an undeniable sense of power and a very apologetic attitude that spoke to my soul. Vocalist Edith Johnson encouraged the audience to move to their infectious sounds but, really, the audience didn’t need any encouragement. Although in my mind, these guys were the outliers on the tour, the audience was eating up their set note by note. With only seven songs in their set, I feel like this band absolutely had a chance to layout their classic pop-punk sound while empowering the women in the audience (which is a key point of this band and another reason why I adore them so much). I could have watched another few hours of this band without getting bored but all good things must come to an end and, although very bummed as they left the stage to make room for the second act, Meet Me @ the Altar’s set had mee feeling refreshed and ready to take on whatever the night would bring.

I was super confused as the house lights went down again signifying the start of Jasiah’s set but didn’t see the famed Jasiah. Instead, the stage was filled by just a DJ spinning songs that instantly shot me back to my teenage years. Owl City’s “Fireflies”, The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside”, and even Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” filled the room. Although I loved singing along while questioning how the uber-young audience knew these songs that were quintessential to my youth and growing up, I was still just super confused as to what was going on. That’s when Jasiah took the stage to a roar of applause, screeching, and, for lack of a better word, “Woos”. Although his rap music did nothing for me personally, his energy was just what I needed to stay engaged throughout his short set. His music is aggressive and a bit in your face but also so full of passion and emotion. At one point, Jasiah hopped from the stage and into the crowd to sing a crowd from the literal floor of the venue. Although I couldn’t see from where I was, it was clear that Jasiah was connecting with the crowd on a super deep level by not only being in the audience but also with the emotion that came with the slower-paced song that he sang from there. Again, overall Jasiah’s set was not for me stylistically but there’s no denying the power this man has both with this audience and with his music.

Closing out the night and the reason for all of the hype surrounding the Saturday night show was Jxdn. At only 21 years old, Jaden Isaiah Hossler (better known as just Jxdn) has absolutely made a name for himself. From gaining fame on TikTok to being arrested on drug charges to getting on the Machine Gun Kelly ‘Tickets to My Downfall Tour’, he has been a bit all over the place and although not all of those places were good, it just added to his persona and fame. I caught Jxdn when he opened up for Machine Gun Kelly at The Armory last September and although his music wasn’t quite for me, his live show left me wanting more so I was excited to see him on a bit more of an intimate stage.

As I stood there watching this young kid perform on Saturday, I realized that his music still isn’t for me. It’s just a bit too young and trendy for what I can get into but, yet again, I found myself completely captivated by him. Between his energy and his ability to rile up the audience with very little effort, the power he brings to a stage can not be ignored. The young audience was screaming along to every single word as they pushed and shoved their way into a sweaty mess. Although I felt no connection to Jxdn or his music, watching the connection everyone else had with him was amazing and led to a flawless first Minnesota headlining show.

I don’t think I will ever download the TikTok app and I definitely have some opinions on the longevity of careers that are launched off of the platform but I will absolutely continue to go see these young social media stars live as they roll through town because of the connection that they seem to have with their fans. It adds something to the live shows that I think some of the other concerts I frequent lack. Although I can’t quite put my finger on it yet, I’m thinking the reason for this “special sauce” is the accessibility that seeing a star on your social media feed on the daily brings to the fans but, again, I’m not quite sure. Even though being at shows like the one on Saturday night definitely makes me feel my age, I will continue to go to shows like this just to try and figure it all out while enjoying the electric energy that always comes with these shows.