SIDNEY GISH
Opening the show, Sidney Gish starts off with a cover of the STRFKR song “Rawnald
Gregory Erickson the Second.” The crowd hushes as she taps her looping guitar pedal, layering
bass lines and guitar phrases. The electronic drum beat fills the rest of the space before she
begins to sing. Throughout her set, she plays popular tracks like “Sin Triangle,” “Imposter
Syndrome,” and “I Eat Salads Now.” Though Gish was the only one on stage, her energy and
humor were both persistent and captivating.

Many of the stories and jokes landed quite well with the audience consisting of people
both young enough to nearly grow up with Gish’s songs and old enough to have salt and pepper
beards. This might have something to do with the subtle hint of sarcasm hiding behind her
words. Going on tour for a month and saying nearly the same thing every night can be pretty
tiring I imagine, so using sarcasm to keep things fun and interesting and not-so-serious can be
effective in capturing your audience's attention whether they catch it or not.
Building up to her most popular track, Gish plays “Persephone” and “Filming School.”
The guitar loops get more complex with harmonizing loops, the lights turn a lovely purple hue,
the fog machine kicks in, and the crowd sings along. Just when “Presumably Dead Arm” plays
and eventually comes near its end, it becomes difficult to imagine a good track to follow it up
with; Gish then plays “Not but For You, Bunny.” The drums as punchy as ever and the vocals
completely fill the space while the crowd sways, dances, and sings to the energetic track that
would lead us into The Beths.

THE BETHS
After waiting for around 15 minutes, The Beths finally step out, and the crowd roars with
excitement. The first notes of “Future Me Hates Me” play and the crowd, again, begins to sway
and dance. The lights glow a soft yellow and red and the rest of the band sings a three-part
harmony beneath the lead vocals. During her set prior, Sidney Gish joked that The Beths are
like the band you see in a cartoon. Everyone is harmonizing, having a good time, and
everything feels solid.

The band is grooving, coasting through their last show. Even with the energy they’re
putting out, I can see how tired they are; a flight from New Zealand to Minnesota following a
month-long tour would make me tired too. The show was postponed to the end of their tour due
to weather conditions; initially, it happened to be scheduled during our big snow storm just a
month prior. Later in the show the lead vocalist, Elizabeth Stokes, jokingly states that she
believes their last tour ended in Minnesota as well. Perhaps they’re just meant to play here last,
possibly something to think about while planning for their next tour.
Stokes and the rest of the band, Jonathan Pearce (guitar), Benjamin Sinclair (bass), and
Tristan Deck (drums), are locked in the entire time. The grooves are tight and the sound is clear.
They did so well flowing each song together, using stage banter with the audience and each
other to keep the show moving forward. During the crowd collectively “woo-ing,” the band
pointed out they might’ve heard someone “boo” instead. It was agreed that some people may
just have lower “woos” than others. With this, Pearce got everyone to boo together, slowly
turning our “boos” into “woos”; a boo crescendo, or a boo-scendo if you will.

The stage was set up with three mics near the edge of the stage and the drums in the
back middle. The drums almost seemed disconnected in that sense, as they weren’t lit up very
well either. I may be biased, as I am a drummer myself, although after discussing it with others,
it seemed I wasn’t the only one to notice the space between the drums and the rest of the band.
I believe to fix this I might’ve moved the guitarist and bassist’s mics back a bit to create the
illusion of a filled stage. It makes sense to have everyone near each other as they’re a band and
want to feel like one whole piece, although again, it can’t feel like one whole cohesive band
without the drums. It is worth pointing out that the drums were lit during the song “Jump Rope
Gazers,” and this made a huge impact on how the band was perceived on stage from my point
of view.
Throughout the set, they played many great songs such as “Jump Rope Gazers,” “Knees
Deep,” and “When You Know You Know.” The crowd danced and sang for most of the show,
enjoying the concert to the fullest. Again, the band was locked in with harmonies, amazing
guitar solos, and drums that consistently grab my attention. They finish their set with none other
than “Expert in a Dying Field.” Perhaps because the crowd knew this one so well, The Beths
collectively felt more confident dancing and jamming to this a little more. Prior to this, they had
been looking slightly sleepy though still playing in a way that grabs and holds everyone's
attention. It was a fantastic way to end the show.

The Beths come back on for an encore, starting with the acoustic song “You Are a Beam
of Light,” and finishing with “Little Death.” The energy coming off of the stage during this last
track really felt like a last hoorah for the band, and it was a pleasure being able to see it. Every
last bit of the band's energy was used during this song as it was not only the last song of the
show but also the final song of their entire tour.
The Beths put on an amazing final performance to end their tour. The energy was
unmatched, and they captured the attention of everyone in the room. I, and many others, look
forward to their next visit to Minneapolis. Every release is better than the last and every show is
better than the one prior. They are truly a one-of-a-kind band, and I am excited to watch them
grow.

Written by Jaren Cable. Photos taken by Grace Williams.