Willow Avalon Brings Heart, Humor and Heartbreak to the Fine Line

Willow Avalon brought her Pink Pocket Pistol tour to the Fine Line in Minneapolis on Wednesday, August 12, for a show that mixed country songwriting, personal stories and plenty of audience participation. The crowd was engaged throughout the night, singing along to much of the set and keeping the energy up from the opening act through the final song.

JD Clayton opened the evening with a solo set that showed he didn't need a full band to get the room moving. He put his own spin on songs, including “The Joker,” originally recorded by the Steve Miller Band. Clayton also introduced a more personal song about fishing with his two-year-old and four-year-old children back home. It was one of the quieter moments of his set and gave the audience some context for the person behind the music.

Slater Nalley was also scheduled to perform but had to cancel the rest of his dates on the tour because he needed to have his wisdom teeth removed. That left Clayton as the night's only opening performance.

Avalon came out with a set built largely around her new record, Pink Pocket Pistol. She moved between guitar and the microphone throughout the show, giving the performance a little variety without making it feel overproduced. Her songs often deal with relationships that have gone badly, and that subject came up repeatedly in the stories she told between songs.

Avalon was open about some of the bad relationships and bad men she has encountered, but she delivered those stories with enough humor and self-awareness that the evening never became overly serious. Her personality was a big part of the performance. She came across as genuine and relaxed, often letting the audience in on the stories behind the songs rather than simply moving from one song to the next.

One of the night's highlights was “Cardinal Sin,” which Avalon recorded with Jason Isbell. The crowd also joined in on “Hypothetically Speaking,” one of several songs that produced a strong singalong.

The audience knew the material well and stayed involved throughout the set. There was plenty of singing and dancing, but the crowd also seemed to be paying attention when Avalon was talking between songs. That balance helped make the show feel more personal than a standard stop on a tour.

Avalon mentioned from the stage that Minneapolis was her favorite show of the tour so far. Whether that was tour-stop diplomacy or a genuine assessment, the audience certainly gave her plenty of reason to say it. The Fine Line crowd was loud, attentive and familiar with the songs.

Avalon saved “Homewrecker” for the end, and it worked particularly well as the closer. After spending much of the night singing about complicated relationships and the consequences that come with them, ending with one of her most recognizable songs gave the set a strong finish.