K. Flay & Vienna Vienna Dazzle at First Avenue
It’s hard to know exactly where the time goes. I’m still reeling in disbelief that the last show I was at was Billie Eilish back in November, almost four months ago. That feels both like a really long time and not much time at all. While the break from shows has been nice as I get back into, surprise, yet another training block for yet another marathon with the added bonus of a new job in the mix, I was more than ready to get back into the swing of things behind the camera. I couldn’t have been more excited for my first show back after this short hiatus to be headlined by one of my top ten favorite artists: K. Flay. I’ve been following K. Flay and her music for over ten years now; I fondly remember my first live show of hers at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge, MA and have caught her at every stop in the Twin Cities she’s made since 2017. To say that I was excited would have been an understatement.
Before both myself and the crowd would see K. Flay grace the stage, we were welcomed by the up and coming artist and sole opener of the evening: Vienna Vienna. My signature move is to leave my first impression of an artist up to a live experience. Truthfully, this is how I’ve discovered a lot of artists that are now in my rotation; a mix of the energy of the live performance and an emotional connection to the music or lyrical content is an easy sell for me to get that artist on my playlists. While Vienna Vienna started their set on the slower side of things, very quickly they picked up the energy on their second song and never looked back. There was something just plain honest about Vienna Vienna’s music and stage presence; with their proclamation of being happy to do the thing they love most day after day on this tour, they delivered an incredibly authentic and unapologetic performance that was so fun to watch and be a part of.
The only disappointing thing about their set was how short it was. Twenty five minutes absolutely flew by. I could have watched Vienna Vienna play for another twenty five without hesitation, all three musicians on stage truly put a lot of energy into their craft that kept me glued to the stage. Their energy was infectious and proved they are more than ready to turn the tables and be a solid headlining act. All and all, Vienna Vienna is a must watch artist for me, and I hope to be able to catch them live again in the near future.
After a quick set change, it was time for the one and only K. Flay to take the stage. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been lucky to either see K. Flay play or shoot her sets, but K. Flay is simply an artist I refuse to miss the opportunity to see. Opening the set with the softer version of “Bar Soap” behind a projection on a screen at the back of the stage before going right into “Giver,” K. Flay took the stage by storm, blazing through her set, which included a mix of classics and bangers from her recent release “MONO.” There’s a certain musical elevation and life that K. Flay breathes into her songs on stage that takes her live performance to a completely different level. Not only is it cathartic for the crowd, but the energy and passion that K. Flay gives to her performance feels unmatched.
Right after the conclusion of “Irish Goodbye,” her team brought out a drum sampler, where K. Flay brought the crowd back to her roots by creating a sample to rap along to as it sped up in the background. This was an incredible nod to her beginnings, back to when it was just her on stage and before others joined her to perform her songs. What was special about this particular show from K. Flay was that not only did we get a special treat of the drum sample/rap and a couple of deeper classics, we also got to hear a few songs from “MONO” reimagined and stripped down (“Bar Soap,” “Are You Serious?,” and “Punisher” to name a few). The softer versions of these songs were incredible to hear live and displayed K. Flay’s talent and range as an artist. I’m glad I was able to catch K. Flay before her time away; I always leave her shows feeling inspired and anticipating the next time she rolls into the Twin Cities and tonight was no different.
