How does a 60 year old white guy stumble upon a band like Haute and Freddy. Dumb luck, late night edits and ADD. A few days ago I had one of those “can’t sleep at 3 AM, might as well edit photos” nights. While editing I had a rando social media feed running on my second screen. And suddenly my attention was grabbed by a 15 second clip of “Touch Touch” and remained there for several repeats of that clip. Next thing I know a bunch of Haute and Freddy songs had been added to my playlist and I found out that they were coming to town and nobody at TCM had signed up to cover that show. Well, old white guy to the rescue!!!!

So I found myself at the Varsity Theater for the first time in a couple of years. A few things have changed, updated bars and ADA area, but also my favorite photo pit in the Twin Cities is now restricted to shooting from a small area (Grumble, grumble from the old photographer) so if you ask, what’s with all the side shots? That’s the reason.

But one thing that stuck out were the outfits in the crowd. Clearly Haute and Freddy’s circus theme carried over to their fans. That should have been a hint of what was to come. Alas I remained clueless.

The universe delivered its next hint with the Rubin Brothers as openers. Circus themed - check. Range of skills and Instruments - check. Juggling Balls - check. Acrobatics on a Bass - double check!!

The set was fun to watch and one had to pay attention at the breakneck speed that songs, jokes, props and gags came at you.

Another reviewer described Haute & Freddy as “theater kid pop.” and the term stuck in my head. Michelle Buzz (Haute) and Lance Shipp (Freddy) both have a solid background as pop songwriters. But writing for others means that one has to adjust their style to theirs. Freed from that constraint the duo began building their fantastic universe and story centered on a pair of runaway circus performers.

“Anti-Superstar” the first song set the energy level to “high” and it stayed there for most of the set. Freddy on drums was the only consistent live instrument, the rest was tracked. But you know what, it was done well, and it worked. The sold out crowd at the Varsity did not mind one bit (neither did I). In a way it allowed us to focus on Haute’s performance. Haute & Freddy’s bond with their fan community also showed throughout the show. Fans were rewarded for best dressed and some joined them on stage to add to the pandemonium for some songs.

I am very much looking forward to seeing where the crazy world they built will take them and their music and to catching them again on tour.