Synonyms for ethereal: celestial, spiritual, divine, unearthly, metaphysical.
These are just a few adjectives which barely skim the surface of Weyes Blood’s
magical performance at the legendary First Avenue. A very cold and solemn
Tuesday night turned into an audience of 1,550 transcended and changed. With the
catastrophic state our world has felt like, it’s safe to say almost everyone attending
(and on Earth) could use a moment of raw emotion and reflection and that’s
exactly what this show entailed.

To open the stage was Vagabon, a Cameroonian-American self-taught multi-
instramentalist singer-songwriter and music producer. Vagabon captivated the
audience with their whimsical tones and hypnotizing beats that will make you
groove while being reminded the beauty of love and the various pains which come
alongside. Vagabon’s performance was an intimate and emotional experience that
conveyed these complexities with the sounds of synth-pop, R&B, indie pop, and
new wave. Vagabon’s discography is absolutely not one to be missed from your
musical rotation.

Vagabon’s opening act was a perfect complement to the experience Weyes
Blood was shortly about to give. As we all waited in anticipation, her very
endearing cartoon depiction of the sailor iPhone with huge red eyes from her music
video ‘It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody,’ overwatched the crowd as it was
projected on the beautiful velvet drape that hung above the main room’s stage.
Gradually as the stage was getting set and minutes passed, multitudes of
candelabras decorated the stage, blue lights began to illuminate, and hazy fog
began to emerge, First Avenue’s mainstage transformed into a nautical dream.
Titanic was rising and so was the crowd’s heart rate. The crowd then got a glimpse
of themselves, literally. Projected onto the stage was the crowd as we cheered in
excitement for the beautiful night we had in store. The lights went dark, resulting
in a hold of breath.

Then appears Weyes Blood prancing onto the stage dressed in a whimsical
white dress with a long cloak draping her, parallels to a real-life angel coming to
comfort and aid us all in times of trouble. Immediately enchanting the audience
with ‘It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody,’ everybody became spellbound. As she
sang one of the beginning lines, “Living in the wake of overwhelming changes,
we've all become strangers, even to ourselves,” you could feel the energy from the
crowd immediately shift, we all were transported into a web of emotion and
introspection. It seemed like that line touched not only me but all our souls.
Realizing how disconnected we all have become, her soothing voice seemed to mend us all together. As the song progressed, the sense of magic only grew stronger and it felt as if the feeling of being lost in her lyricism isn’t something not only, I needed, but we all did.

Becoming so immersed in Weyes Blood’s mystical vocals made it no longer
a cold and solemn Tuesday night that it once was, but a transformative escape from
the real world and all its pressing demands. Her voice continuously lifted us higher
and higher to a different dimension as she transitioned into the next two songs,
‘Children of the Empire’ and ‘A Lot’s Gonna Change,’ this is one of her hit songs
and it makes sense. It seems we all have needed a glimpse of hope during these
times and her reassuring lyrics, “You’re gonna be just fine but babe, a lots gonna
change in your lifetime,” suddenly made it seem as if someone was cutting onions
in the crowd.

The first three songs, Weyes sang with no break and no chance for us to
process the journey we had just been put through. She then greeted us all and
expressed her genuine gratitude to be back performing at First Avenue before
dimming the lights and swaying to the sweet melody of ‘God Turn Me Into a
Flower.’ Accompanied by visuals from BBC filmmaker Adam Curtis, the song
took on a whole new meaning. Behind Weyes, projected scenes of political
discourse, religious services, day to day routines, past and current worldly affairs.
As the song built in crescendo, the visuals became ever more powerful and with
each call for God to turn her into a flower, Weyes spun her cloak, casting a radiant
glow that seemed to reflect a divine light as if her calls were being answered. This
was truly a moment of magic and will be one to stick with me forever.

To bring the crowd back to Earth, Weyes surveyed the crowd. Asking who
believes astrology is real and it’s safe to say it the consensus was a tie with loud
applause erupting for each side. To my surprise, Weyes Blood does not believe in
astrology and further explained how she likes to pick a zodiac sign to be for
however she’s feeling that day. As someone who does believe there is some truth
to astrology, I had a hunch she was an air sign before being confirmed by Google
that she is in fact a Gemini. I mean, I do believe such music could only be crafted
by the nature of a multifaceted Gemini.
Weyes then asked the crowd if anyone brought and DVDs that she could
watch during her time on the tour bus and to no surprise Minnesota showed up.
Passed onto her were the DVDs: Dirty Dancing, The Fault in Our Stars, and a stack
of Midwest hunting films. I couldn’t find a better way to describe a crowd in
Minnesota. To proceed her set, we were introduced to the hit song ‘Andromeda’ and its
outstanding guitar slide created deep vibratos which reflected her beautiful voice
perfectly. Suddenly we were all spellbound again. Continuing with the entrancing
songs ‘Grapevine’ and ‘A Given Thing,’ Weyes swayed and pranced across the
stage while swaying our hearts.
Interrupting the set, Weyes called to get this party started as she began the
song ‘Everyday’ from her release Titanic Rising. She sat at the piano and began
jamming and singing her heart out and the party officially started, the crowd began
to dance and sway with each hit of keys. With the momentum building, Weyes
seamlessly transitioned into ‘Wild Time.’ A jazzy yet introspective ballad which
captures such truth with the lines, “A million people trying, don’t cry it’s a wild
time to be alive,” creating another tearjerking moment.

The last three songs were another journey in themselves as she prepared for
her exit. A red light then appeared from her chest, imitating the cover of And In the
Darkness, Hearts Aglow. Bittersweet was the song, ‘Twin Flame,’ a song about the
pain that can coexist with love. “We are more than our disguises / more than just
the pain / I’m standing here laughing at my shame, ‘cause you’re my twin flame.”
With each disguise she sang of, she covered her illuminated heart with her cloak.
Transitioning into one of my favorite tracks by her was ‘Movies,’ the stage
framed her in a beautiful blue hue, creating a stunning underwater effect. Not only
appearing underwater, but this psychedelic track also creates a feeling as if you are
floating in it.

With such spirited energy created, Weyes closed us off with the song,
‘Heart’s Aglow,’ and at this point at the show you could feel and see that this was
exactly what was happening to us all. As Weyes did her final graceful prance
across the stage, the crowd erupted in applause. In that moment, it felt as though
we had made our final transection into to another dimension, where the music and
energy had merged to create an ethereal, otherworldly experience.
Weyes Blood’s craft is not just the gift of music this generation needs, but
all to follow. Her music serves as a reminder that we are not alone in this life,
we’re all connected in ways that we can’t perceive. As a wise woman once said,
“Love is calling so it’s time to let it through.”

 Written by Thea Pappas. Photos taken by Teddy Nordvold.