Howdy Folks!
This was a super fun concert overall, and one I’d been looking forward to for a long time. Palace has been a band I’ve held near and dear to myself for a long time, and finally getting to see them was a dream come true.
The opener, Rollo Doherty, was someone I’d admittedly not heard of before, but ended up quite enjoying a lot. The amount of space he was able to fill with his sound, setting up his loop pedals and really pushing out some rather emotional sounds, was impressive! It was also neat to watch him pull out what was close to a violin bow and use it in between the acoustic guitar’s strings, bringing a unique sound to the space as well. Doherty’s vocals were quite nice too, smooth and soft, and also presenting quite intensely at the swells of his songs. Overall i liked what he brought as the opener, and could genuinely feel the emotion he was pushing out through the speakers. I’m definitely going to be checking him out online more.
Finally, Palace. This place was absolutely packed to the brim. I felt bad watching a lot of shorter folks trying to get any kind of view, and even for me it was hard to find a solid spot. But that just goes to show how excited people were to see the band live!
Their newest album just came out, so there were plenty of songs from it, but I was personally hoping to hear some of the earlier stuff. When Bitter came on, the whole crowd and I were singing along wildly. I was still moving around, shooting, and it was a lot of fun to look down the stairs and see everyone mouthing the lyrics along with the vocalist. Besides Bitter, the other big songs of the night were Live Well (another fave of mine) and Heaven Up There. I was a little surprised that people hadn’t really caught up to the new record yet and were clearly there for those older songs, but I suppose that’s why bands tour new music!
The performance was good overall, with solid interaction on stage, lighting that fit really well, and some well-practiced playing that showed off the band’s synergy. As much as I liked the show, I do wish I’d caught them a year or two ago, when the setlist might have pulled from more of their records. But that’s just me. I can attest that I didn’t see a single disappointed face in the crowd!
I’ll definitely be on the lookout for their next roll-through, hopefully pretty soon. I’m also hoping for a fun acoustic set at a smaller venue at some point. Rollo Doherty and Palace put on an amazing, well-played, ambient, vibey show for MSP, though, and I can’t complain at all!
