Around 7:00 pm, the show began with a DJ set from producer Ripsquad, a veteran producer with Drain Gang members (including Bladee, Ecco2k, Thaiboy Digital, and Whitearmor). Some Ripsquad produced Bladee songs include Be Nice 2 Me, Destroy Me, and Frosty The Snowman. During Ripsquads set, he primed the already antsy crowd with a melodic DJ set, including remixes from artists such as Crystal Castles, Frou Frou, Ecco2k and Thaiboy Digital. After his 30 minute set, the crowd was buzzing for Bladee to take the stage.

Bladee began his set at 8:00 pm with his song Hero of my story 3style3, off of his fan-favorite album, 333. The explosive sounds of the opening track set the stage for the rest of the night. The palpable energy was so abundant in the venue, it felt as though the walls were going to break down. Just at the mere sight of Bladee walking on the stage, the crowd screamed and sang every word of the song, pushing to the front to be as close to Bladee as possible. He then moved the music momentum into ICARUS 3REESTYLE, followed by The Flag Is Raised from Crest, the famed collaborative project with Ecco2k from 2022. Although Ecco2k wasn’t present that night, the crowd was ecstatic to hear his verse over the speakers.

In the middle of his set he played a couple of very notable songs including desiree, just the second time he’s played that song live ever. He followed that into Like a Virgin, not only an unreleased track but also the first time he’s played it in years. During this middle portion of the show, Bladee took the time to slow down the tempo, performing more melodic songs like Valerie, DNA RAIN, I think…, EVERY MOMENT SPECIAL, Wings in Motion, and many more. This dip in energy was just what everyone in the crowd needed, they sang out to every word of his songs as they continued to push as close to the front as possible.

Just before the end of his set and the encore, Bladee pulled the energy back up with YUNG SHERMAN, Into Dust, Waster, and Destroy Me. The crowd somehow had even more energy than when the show started. He played his recently released song One In A Million, and walked off the stage. The crowd was well prepared for an encore. They didn’t stop screaming until Bladee came back on stage to end the night with Who Goes There, Unreal, Sugar, and She’s Always Dancing, as everyone soaked in the final fleeting moments, that incredible end to an unreal night. Just as quickly as he appeared on stage, he was gone.

Seeing Bladee perform live was a surreal moment for me. He is an artist I have known for many years, but never thought I would see him live. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to see him in concert, and to share that moment of his first time ever performing in the Twin Cities. I am counting down the days until he makes his return back to Minneapolis. But given Bladee’s illusive nature, God knows when that’ll be–if ever. I highly recommend seeing him live if you ever come across the chance, be wary for the rambunctious crowd, they won’t let anything get in their way of being as close to Bladee as possible.

The post Concert Review: Bladee Brings Dynamic Energy to His First-Time Performance in the Twin Cities appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The first opener and Chicago-based solo act, Paul Cary, started the show off with a bluesy, guitar driven sound. During his half hour set, he played about eight different songs all by himself—just a man and his guitar.

He has a soulful voice that would be at home in any Memphis bar, with a guitar style to back it up and keep you pulled in. His songs seemed on the shorter side, but all were fairly laidback and soothing. I was not really sure what kind of crowd to expect at the Mill tonight, but there was definitely an older crowd. It was already pretty packed when I got there at 8:00 with standing room only left and I ended up finding myself in a corner somewhat in the way of the waiters going in and out of the kitchen.

After Cary’s set came to a close at 8:30 and the set up for Elizabeth Moen started, I moved out of my corner closer to the stage area and the crowd seemed to double in size. This made sense after I found out she was and Iowa City native as she gave a shoutout to her cousin who was turning 21 at midnight. Moen took the stage with a gorgeous guitar and her band at 9:00pm and started off with a song that really showcased her powerful voice.

Her band members consisted of a drummer, rhythm guitarist, and a cello player who also sang backup vocals and really lovely harmonies. I saw Cary mingling with the crowd during Moen’s set which was cool to see and he seemed like a really laidback guy.

Moen’s style had a bit of a beach-friendly vibe to it with the rhythm guitar and I found myself captivated by her voice and stage presence. Her music was quite a bit more high-energy than Cary’s and I saw several people dancing throughout her set. I had never heard her music before tonight but I thoroughly enjoyed it. She announced during her performance that her album release will be at the Blue Moose on May 13^th and I am definitely considering going. Moen finish her set around 9:45pm with another song that showcased her powerful voice.

During the set up for the headliner, Bridget Kearny, the crowd shuffled around quite a bit and it seemed like it was almost switched out with entirely new people. Kearny, another Iowa City native, and her four piece band took the stage a bit after 10:00pm and kept the energy up with their upbeat music.

Overall their sound was less beachy than Moen’s and seemed to have a lot of 80’s influence. The vocals also were not as strong and it definitely seemed like more of a group act than a lead singer with a backup band. While most of the songs were upbeat, there were a couple slower, more soulful songs mixed in. Kearny closed out the set around 11:00pm, about an hour after beginning.

The Mill is a really fun venue for a show, but it was almost a bit too crowded for this show in particular. It seemed like every couple of minutes I had someone asking me to move so that they could pass by and it was a bit distracting. However, the performances were all really enjoyable so that made up for it, and I think Moen was definitely my personal favorite act of the night.

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