Trampled by Winter: Dave Simonett Unites his Acts at Minneapolis Concert.

Playing with his band Dead Man Winter, Dave Simonett also brought out most of his Trampled by Turtles bandmates and played some solo songs in a thorough concert that displayed all sides of the introspective singer/songwriter.

Simonett opened the show with tracks off the popular Dead Man Winter album Furnace: “Danger” and “The Same Town”. The crowd was ready, singing along and cheering in an atmosphere that instantly felt like you were seeing a friend perform. The third song kept the crowd grooving…the first live performance of “You Never Let Me Down” off their late 2024 EP release Always Now.

Yet Simonett’s songs run a range of tempos and emotions. And shortly after his opening selections, he slowed it down with “Pisces, Queen of Hearts” from his first solo album Redtail. And here stepped away from the more plugged-in sound of Dead Man Winter, holding the crowd with the song’s closing line of I remember thinking we would meet again/In the space between the starlight and the treeline.

Then the first special guest made his way to the stage. Ryan Young from Trampled by Turtles played fiddle for the Dead Man Winter songs “Wasteland” and Long, Cold Night” to the delight of the crowd. Afterwards, Dead Man Winter covered emotional ground in a variety of styles, from the uppity “Destroyer” to the somber “Weight of the World”. They even successfully played “Bright Lights” for the first time in ten years…after revealing they forgot to practice it.

Simonett then performed as a solo artist, jokingly commenting about playing from an EP that nobody probably heard of. Another example of those moments where he reveals a personable yet vulnerable side. Even if anecdotally. During his performance of the Trampled by Turtles song “Bloodshot Eyes”, he sang the lyrics I wrote some songs/But they were s***** as h*** and quickly interjected, “it’s true”.

Speaking of Trampled by Turtles, other special guests joining Simonett were bandmate “Banjo” Dave Carroll for a solemn rendition of “Whiskey”. And for the closing, bandmate Eamonn McLain played stand-up bass for Dead Man Winter’s “In the Western Wind & Sunrise”. With each new instrument, the songs received an emotional boost. And the crowd was treated to a jam-session style show.

For the last third of the setlist, Simonett wove in between Dead Man Winter and Trampled by Turtles songs, playing favorites like “Red Wing Blue Wing” and “Winners”. Keyboards and percussion thumped a little more. And the crowd reveled to endemic lyrics like Charlie's on stage and the roof may collapse and Pretty little city built on a hillside.

And the finale was a full-on reunion of sorts, with Dead Man Winter playing with all Trampled by Turtles members that previously made appearances. Encore tracks included the string-picking “Midnight on the Interstate” and “New Orleans”, the latter featuring extended instrumentals.

Opening the evening was Little Fevers, playing a complementary set of songs like “Daytime People” and “Baby’s Baby’s”. According to Simonett, the bands became friends after getting snowed in an Iowa motel while on tour years ago.

But on the first day of spring, Dead Man Winter and Simonett’s friends warmed up the First Avenue crowd with heartfelt music and surprise guests.

This review is dedicated to the memory of Paul Lundgren.