First Avenue was welcoming to many on this chilly night with the noisy grunge brought by Lowertown and the sweet voice and presence of beabadoobee. As 6 PM rolled around and the darkness of night began, the venue quickly filled with a younger audience. People were impatiently waiting for the show to begin and were cheering and singing along to First Avenue’s rotating list of upcoming concerts and perfectly curated playlist.

Lowertown is a band that I originally admired for their soft tones and lo-fi energy, but their set was anything but this. They nervously began with a first time performance of a song from their new album and quickly transitioned to a noisy punk set. The band was joined by a drummer and bassist that greatly contributed to the erratic sense of their set. Olive, the band’s lead singer, encouraged the audience to dance and more importantly to dance with each other. Dancing especially with those that you don’t know is such a vulnerable, yet grounding experience. The audience's spirits rapidly lifted and peace and comfortability was achieved before beabadoobee’s set.

When Bea entered the stage, the indie pop loving audience went wild. For many this was their first concert experience, which caused them to be stunned by her presence. She effortlessly picked up her guitar and comforted the crowd with the opener from her album Beatopia, 10:36. As the opening riff of Apple Cider began, the audience began jumping and passionately singing along. The night continued with a mix of upbeat grunge rock songs and slower ballads. All about love, heartbreak, and passion. beabadoobee is an artist that is known for her pull from 90s rock with a bedroom pop twist.

The themes of love and heartbreak evoked memories of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows from us all. Audience members were screaming lyrics back to her and re-living through these emotions. Bea was enamored with the crowd and a wide grin crossed her face when people threw up red panda plushies, which is her favorite animal. She added them to the stage, which was beautifully decorated with all of the stuffed animals that she has accumulated over the length of the tour, which added to the openness and comfortability of the environment. To end off the night, she entranced the audience with an intimate performance of the first song that she released, Coffee, and followed up with an emotional performance of Ripples.

As we swayed and processed the range of feelings that we felt throughout the night, she freely transitioned to Cologne. The audience swiftly loosened and started singing and rocking with the electric guitar and the return of the drums. As the night came to an end, I was left in shock. The lights rose, I was reconnected with my friends and slowly pulled myself back to reality. We made our way out and were left with a new perspective on love and everything that comes along with it.

by Shreya Prabhu