Minus the Bear at the Fine Line Music Cafe

Seattle’s Minus the Bear stopped at the Fine Line Music Cafe on Tuesday while traveling the country on their Voids Tour with Beach Slang and Bayonne. They have been making waves in the music scene for over 15 years and never fail to amaze crowds during live performances, and this week’s show in the Twin Cities was no different.

Upon walking into the venue, I couldn’t help but notice how swamped the merch table was. Since releasing their most recent album, VOIDS, people have been scrambling to take a listen to the album and clearly Tuesday’s attendees were no exception. T-shirts and records in hand, everyone stood at attention as openers Beach Slang and Bayonne took the stage. I, personally, am always almost as excited for the openers as I am for the main act, because that’s where I find out about all the best bands.

(That’s even where I found out about Minus the Bear!) So needless to say, I was stoked to arrive early and hear some songs that may be my favorite someday.

Exactly the kind of unique project you would expect to come out of Austin, TX, Bayonne was much more than just an opening DJ. With intriguing and exciting sounds that got the crowd swaying and shimmying with contentment, Bayonne was the perfect start to the evening.

Beach Slang brought the noise and stole this Philly native’s heart. Somewhere between a big party and a serious sit down talk, I came out of their set feeling invigorated and ready for what was to come.

When Minus The Bear finally hit the stage, the whole room got quiet and it became very clear that everyone who was at the show was there to listen and enjoy. They played a career spanning set with classic crowd favorites and new bangers that got the crowd pumped even if it was their first time hearing the song. Jake Snider, lead vocalist, had such high energy and natural banter with the crowd throughout the night, that it almost felt like a one-on-one hang out session that hundreds of other people just so happened to be in attendance of. Minus the Bear is no stranger to touring and playing live shows, and that fact shined through so well during their performance. Their light show, vocals, and on-stage comradery were more than impressive. After a long set and a three song encore, Minus the Bear left the stage as fans either filed out into the *almost* spring weather or made their way to buy more merch. I myself left with enough shirts to put off laundry for a week, CDs to keep me entertained for hours, and the impatient urge to buy tickets to another stop on the VOIDS tour.