Mod Sun Comes Home To A Packed And Excited First Avenue

I found myself jumping between two worlds on Sunday night. One of those worlds was the soft and calming energy happening with Katelyn Tarver and Donovan Woods at the intimate yet packed 7th Street Entry. The other world was the high-energy world of Mod Sun, lovelytheband, Honestav, and No Love For The Middle Child in the First Avenue Mainroom. It was wild to enter a completely different world just by walking a few feet and going through a set of doors, but, like I always say, life is wild, and all you can really do is buckle up and go along with it.

The all-ages show in First Avenue’s mainroom started super early with No Love For The Middle Child kicking off their set at 6 PM sharp. Although it was a bit early for me, the crowd was already in place, and this duo definitely helped wake me up and get me ready for the loaded night I had ahead of me. Originally from Philadelphia but now based in Los Angeles, No Love For The Middle Child is everything from a songwriter to a producer. Joined on stage by a DJ and drummer, I loved the power that this human brought to the stage. Sure, his music was definitely a bit more pop-based than I typically go for, and it definitely had that TikTok vibe to it, but there was also this slight sense of depth that made me super into what he was doing.

Speaking of TikTok– the next act to take the stage, Honestav, is the definition of a TikTok artist. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but it was pretty obvious within the first song that this man was a bit green to performing, and that idea was only solidified as he explained to the audience that this was only his eighth show ever. So, how did this newcomer get on such a large show? Sure, we could talk about his over a million followers on TikTok, but it was the music. I know I’m not Honestav’s demographic, as I’m quite a bit older than that, but I really fell for the sounds and words he gave the audience. It was very Hobo Johnson & the Lovemakers with a bit more of a rap influence and a slight old-school Post Malone energy to it. I loved that, although his time on stage was short, he made sure to connect with everyone in the audience. He connected with them not only with his music but also with how he spent a lot of time on the barricade, serenading the audience and making sure that everyone in the room not only heard him but felt him. Again, I may be a bit old for some of what Honestav was singing about, but he was doing it with an undeniable sense of heart and passion, and, at the end of the day, you’re never too old for that.

Up next was lovelytheband from Los Angeles, California. This was one of my pandemic bands. I only mean that, during lockdown, I spent a lot of time listening to their music. There was something fun and optimistic about their sound, but there was also a sense of depth that I felt like I needed at that time. Although I’ve moved on to some other new music, I still have my days where lovelytheband hits the spot and being able to see them perform on Sunday night was amazing.

Throughout the band’s nearly fifteen-song set, I was treated to songs I knew and tracks that I either missed or were new. Regardless of what song the trio was playing, there was a sense of emotion that seemed to overpower the use of backing tracks in a way that I didn’t think possible. Honestly, bands relying on backing tracks are one of my biggest pet peeves. Although I definitely thought that lovelytheband was using a lot of backing tracks, I was able to look past it due to the sheer amount of passion that I was getting from the “real” musicians on stage. That just added to the magic of hearing songs like “buzz cut” and “there are my friends” for the first time ever live. For how much time I’ve spent with this band over the years, finally seeing them live was not at all a disappointment and I truly hope I get another chance sooner rather than later.

Although it was still early to me (not even 9 PM), it was time for the main act of the night – Mod Sun. The last time I saw Mod Sun was back in March of 2020. I feel like we have all lived multiple lives since 2020, so it was nice to feel the slight nostalgia that came with seeing Mod Sun on a stage again. On top of that, Sunday night was a homecoming for Mod Sun. Some people may not know this, but Mod Sun is from just outside of the Twin Cities in Bloomington. His history is insane. From his work in Four Letters Lie to Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Mod Sun was part of the soundtrack to my youth before he was even Mod Sun, and that has always added that cherry on top of seeing him live. But I digress. He was not on stage with Four Letter Lie or Scary Kids Scaring Kids on Sunday night. He was on stage as Mod Sun and, truly, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Being that I was covering two shows on Sunday night and having to split my time between them, I didn’t catch every single song that Mod Sun and his band performed, but I can tell you that every time, I had to walk away and go check out the other show, my heart broke. The amount of energy that this man and his band brought to the legendary First Avenue stage was absolutely insane. Beyond that, though, was his clear admiration and appreciation for the audience. There was just something so electric and so full of love about his performance that it was truly hard to walk away. Add the way that his sound was absolutely flawless but still had that extra spice that you would expect from a live performance, and I was left with what was my favorite performance of the entire weekend.