SKYWAY THEATER in Minneapolis, MN
03/29/19
This was a very well crafted bill with 3 bands that are very beloved and fans are very passionate about. Zeal and Ardor came out and played a straight ahead, 10 song - 35 minute set with no breaks in between songs that had the crowd completely enriched in their sound. Deafheaven had a very interesting 7 song – 75 minute set that had a lot of fans in the crowd completely engaged from start to finish. I was expecting some of the crowd to leave after Deafheaven which is normally what you would see on this co-headlining runs. This was not the case tonight.
Coming out to a hero’s welcome, Baroness was overdue to return to Minneapolis. Each band member came to the stage with a big smile on their face. Coming from only seeing a 30 minute festival set from them to their own headline set, I was expecting great things from this full experience.
Vocalist and Guitarist John Baizley dominated the stage like a professional wrestler wielding his guitar like a title belt. The band strongly rounded out by three fantastic musicians - guitarist Gina Gleason, bassist Nick Jost and Sebastian Thomson on drums. You would be hard pressed to find another band with the precision musicianship that these four deliver tonight.
Diving into “A Horse Called Golgotha” from the Blue Record and then launching into “Morningstar” from Purple - the harmonies that John, Gina and Nick bring forth are astonishing! Up next, “March to the Sea” from Yellow & Green and now you really could hear the crowd was singing along with every song. While this shouldn't shock anyone familiar with their music, the interludes work beautifully live leading into different songs than where they are placed on their respective records. “Green Theme” worked perfectly going into “Chlorine and Wine” and the best of the night being “Ogeechee Hymnal” into “The Sweetest Curse” later in the set.
John and Gina's intertwined vocals shined brightest on the only new song in the set, “Borderlines”, from the new album Gold & Grey coming out June 14 on their own Abraxan Hymns label. This led into a stunning "If I Have to Wake Up (Would You Stop the Rain?)" that tops the recorded version on Purple. The smiles from all 4 members never ended all night with Nick grinning like the Cheshire cat throughout the entire set.
The show came to a close with their guitar tech bringing out a beautiful 12 and 6 string guitar for John to bring the fury of “Isak” into a faster (than normal) “Take My Bones Away” that seemed as much of a celebration for the band and fans as it did bringing the set to a close.
If Baroness comes back around, do not miss it. They are one of the best live bands out there right now that deliver what you hear on the record in a live setting with no backing tracks. If they ever does a 2 hour "Evening with" type of set, take my money now! The price of admission will pay dividends by song 2.
SEE MORE OF BRETT'S BARONESS PHOTOS HERE!!
BARONESS' setlist
A Horse Called Golgotha
Morningstar
March to the Sea
Green Theme
Chlorine and Wine
Borderlines
If I Have to Wake Up (Would You Stop the Rain?)
Fugue
Eula
Shock Me
Ogeechee Hymnal
The Sweetest Curse
Isak
Take My Bones Away
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