Sunday’s show at First Avenue was a rather energetic way to close out the weekend. New Orleans band Mutemath was in town promoting their album “Vitals”
Starting the show was Nashville’s Paper Route. They took to the stage to the tune of Ennio Morricone’s “Once upon a Time in The West” – a nice touch. Crowded on stage the Mutemath’s gear and lights they managed to play a great set. Many in the crowd were familiar with them and got into it quite quickly. The Energy radiating from the stage certainly helped. One thing that stood out to me was the synth background sounds playing between songs while lead singer JT Daly spoke to fans. Paper route was the perfect opening band and Sunday evening was off to a great start.
Set List (titled: Minneapolis Don’t cha know?): Love Letters / Wish / Laugh / Are We / Balconies / Better Life / You and Me / Zhivago / Gutter / Dance
Mutemath may have been around for over a decade but their stage show would leave many younger bands completely winded by the 3rd song. Their light setup is spectacular and should anyone get bored, there are plenty of toys and gimmicks to keep even the most ADHD fan focused (well, I did not see a squirrel). A Keytar, an LED lit inflatable boat for crowd surfing and a sound maker being tossed in the crowd were all part of the show. But Mutemath is not all about gimmicks. This is an outstanding live band and their songs range from poppy to almost anthem style that would be at home in a large stadium. They played a good blend of old and new materials. Fans there energized through the whole set and this was one of the most lively show I have seen at First Avenue. The only thing that would have made the evening better is everyone in the crowd got a note excusing them from work or school the next morning.
Set List:
Stratosphere / Chaos / Prytania / Clipping / Light Up / All I See / Noticed / Vitals / Joy Rides / Composed / Used To / Blood Pressure / Control / You Are Mine / Safe If We Don’t Look Down / Armistice / Best of Intentions / Bulletproof / Spotlight / Remain / Monument / Reset / Typical
Just a great show. What fantastic music. Memorable.