And-tastic performance of Andy Shauf

I put on the album “Norm”  last night in preparation for the opening of Andy Shauf’s two-day stay in Minneapolis. I am reminded of the casual, captivating storytelling that binds Shauf’s discography as I listen to songs produced since his self-released first album in 2006. 

The warm, September evening show begins at the charming Parkway Theater, tucked in between dinner clubs and restaurants. The elixir of the evening is a house red, and I take to my red-velvet seat as I sit around 100 or so other Parkway dwellers. Our opening act, Hayden Pedigo,  joins stage right with an acoustic guitar and instrumental melodies punctuated by self-endorsed “long, awkward pauses”. Through four songs, including an apocalyptic western tune, Hayden takes us through a journey from Amarillo, Texas to the beyond. 

At the conclusion of Hayden’s debut,  I watch Andy appear on stage through the thick-lens glasses of the viewer in front of me. “Was all of my love wasted on you?” Andy asks as he opens his set with a familiar song, setting the scene for a night of versed introspection and personal vignettes. Andy’s soft acoustics and unique drawl elicit gentle sways from the crowd, where an occasional photo is snapped to commemorate the evening. Unrequited love, fumbling through romance and social interactions, and yearning for permanence, Andy carries us through years of his experience. As we become quite personal with characters from the songs, a familiar character Claire ushers the set to a close as we meet her again in Shauf’s second to last song.

Revived by the applause, Andy plays a single encore while bantering with audience members, divulging personal music inspiration from Billy Woods and the Beatles. Andy leaves us with kind thanks, acknowledging the respectful audience, and retreats before his second performance the following day.

On the way to the show, one fellow attendee shared that she had seen Andy Shauf four other times, traveling across state borders to see him play. By the end of the performance, I could begin to understand the cult following Shauf recruits, as his sentimental, personal lyrics and soothing, somber voice enchant countless members of the audience.