Varsity Theater in Minneapolis
May 2, 2022
Photos by Brett Zisler
Review by Nick
It’s been a minute since Dorothy and/or Joyous Wolf has been back to MN and it’s been awhile since I’ve been to the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. All 3 were overdue.
JOYOUS WOLF played a rowdy 40 min set that saw vocalist Nick Reese all over the stage barely standing still long enough to take the pictures you see included here. Matched with an incredibly tight rhythm section of Greg Braccio on bass and Robert Sodaro on drums creating a massive sound for guitarist Blake Allard to riff all over. This band has seriously spent time perfecting their music to come across loud and proud live. You could tell they were traveling with their own sound guy who had everything dialed in perfect to make the band sound the best they could be.
Opening with “Quiet Heart” from their Place in Time record, the band was firing on all cylinders and never let up until the 40 min set was over. They came with a mission to make new fans and they definitely accomplished that. Reese’s outgoing personality on stage doing cartwheels including parting the crowd down the middle to jump down and do one from the floor made for a show you couldn’t take your eyes off of. Add in that you want to watch Braccio, Sodaro and Allard playing just as intensely and you’ve got yourself a hard act to follow.
Half the set seemed to be made up of songs from a forthcoming record including a very memorable “Get Myself Right” that should prove to be a stunner on record as it was live. I definitely was bummed that they didn’t have a CD or any vinyl at the merch booth, I’m guessing they would’ve sold big after that set. Keep an eye on this band - they are one big song away from becoming huge!
DOROTHY came out with a new band that was equally as talented as JOYOUS WOLF that came out making “Down to the Bottom” a little more heavier to make the song’s catchiness making it a great show opener. DOROTHY was in fine vocal form with the tracks like “Gun In My Hand” and “Raise Hell” from Rockisdead and did incredible versions of the new songs “Rest in Peace” and “Beautiful Life”.
The band had plenty of time to shine, making the songs in the set larger than their recorded counterparts. The show went by super quick with DOROTHY performing 11 songs from her 3 albums. My only minor gripe was that DOROTHY ended the show with “Flawless” and “Freedom” from 28 Days in the Valley and ended the show on an awkward note. The show just ended after those two songs with no encore. No “Raise Hell”, no “Whiskey Fever”, no “After Midnight” or no “Kiss It” all which would have been excellent show closers, let alone set additions.
In the end, it was fantastic to see DOROTHY live again with such a great band behind her to let her really deliver some powerhouse performances during the set. I’m betting that this was just an appetizer for the main event coming soon. Check out DOROTHY’s new record “Gifts from the Holy Ghost” as it is a fantastic listen. Dorothy could definitely come back and just play the new record and I’d walk out a happy fan!
SEE MORE OF BRETT'S PHOTOS OF DOROTHY and JOYOUS WOLF HERE!
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