Photos by Vito Ingerto
After an amazing weekend weather-wise in the Twin Cities, it was hard to get motivated to start a week of work. But that wasn’t the case if you were one of the lucky one’s at the Fillmore Minneapolis Monday night, your Monday definitely didn’t suck. Bebe Rexha brought so much energy she gave Xcel a run for their money when she brought her Best F*ckin Night Of My Life tour to the venue.
First up on Monday night was New York singer/songwriter Zolita. It may be fitting that she was in town during Pride month, as she has been extremely open about her sexuality. She was intensely active throughout her set, yet seem to connect with everyone in the room. Her lyrics are deeply personal, and anyone who has loved and lost could easily relate. One of her new tunes “Grave” hit particularly hard, having to try to explain the ending of a relationship when you don’t even understand why it’s over. There were intimate moments with Zolita and her acoustic creating even more intimacy. A major sing-along occurred when she covered a Carrie Underwood Underwood tune but tweaked the words a bit to “Before She Cheats”. But the highlight of the set was “Somebody I F*cked Once” which had the entire Fillmore singing as one.
I’m not sure there is an artist who has the breadth of collaboration than Rexha has. Is there anyone else that can say they have worked with Eminem, Snoop Dogg, G Easy, Florida Georgia Line, and Dolly Parton? She is the definition of all that and a bag of chips, criminally underrated, and her live show highlighted this diversity. The show started with a huge video screen which at first appeared to be a giant TV, flashing images of Rexha, rockets, deep space, and women dancing on another world. She opened with “ I’m Not High I’m In Love” off of her latest release Bebe. The beat, the lights, and the images on the screen all gave off a 70’s vibe. Flanked by two dancers, Rexha looked like a goddess in her pink shimmery coat. Cleverly placed fans made Rexha appear to be flying through the air. After losing her sparkly jacket, she went into a sultry version of “Miracle Man”, also off of Bebe. Heavy on the synth and with a funky bass, this new tune had the Fillmore grooving to the disco pop vibe. The energy remained in the stratosphere with “The Heart Wants What It Wants’.
After taking a quick second to hydrate from a bedazzled cup after that three-song workout, she slowed the pace a little with a steamy version of “Me Myself And I”. She then asked if anybody ever felt messy, and it appeared like everyone in the venue responded in the affirmative. Breaking into “I’m A Mess”, she received the loudest response of the evening. Who can’t relate to feelings of anxiety and self-doubt? The passion with which both Rexha and the audience sang the chorus was truly the highlight of the evening. She then took a deep dive into her catalogue with “Atmosphere > Gateway Drug > Bad Bitch, a powerful three-punch barrage. “Meant To Be” was another trip deep into her song list. The show ended with pure happiness when Rexha came out for the encore and broke into “I’m Good(Blue)’. It was the perfect way to cap off the “best f*cking Monday night of of my life”
