Caravan Palace Brings French Party To First Avenue

Minneapolis got down and boogied this past Thursday at First Avenue! French lounge/dance/electronic/party/swing/jazz band Caravan Palace brought their 2025 North American tour to downtown’s legendary venue, and what a party is was! The French septet’s live show is widely regarded as not-to-miss, which is why First Avenue was packed wall to wall to see the band play their unique fusion of danceable genres. The excitement in the crowd was practically bubbling over as they waited eagerly for their palatial performance

Caravan Palace’s trombonist - real name Martin Burlugue, stage name Zayka - opened up for the giddy crowd. The frenchman’s sense of bombast was on full display, his trademark trombone cutting through the silence and setting a mood that would last for the rest of the evening as he strutted in front of the stage and beckoned the crowd to dance along with him. He alternated between blasting on his brass and using a small board to play beats to his booming backing track. This alternation made the electronic music on display truly come alive, giving it a grounding and anchoring that a lot of times EDM sets can lack! Between that and his charismatic charm when addressing the audience, Zayka left a strong impression on everyone at First Avenue, and more than adequately prepared them for the dancestravaganza to come.

After a short pause, the screen rose to the floor lights pulsing the ceiling of the old bus station, and Caravan Palace quickly took the stage. Their silhouetted forms waving at the crowd, the first notes re-igniting the crowd and getting the venue bouncing from floor to ceiling. The interplay between live instruments and electronic production was mesmerizing—Caravan Palace has a way of making the old feel new again, transforming vintage swing aesthetics into something undeniably modern and danceable.

Frontwoman Zoé Colotis stole the show from the get go, her animated facial expressions and full body excitement for her music effortlessly transferring to the enthusiasm of the crowd. She bounded around the stage, made smaller by the enormous ensemble of instruments laid out to accommodate the various needs of their discography, but despite the space available Zoé made that stage seem enormous, her presence was so earnest and illuminating. Not to detract from the backing instrumentation of course, because each member brought an intensity and a coordination that produces a whole that is so much greater than its individual parts. When Zoé told the crowd “it’s time to have a French party”, while joking, there was something to it - something special about how Caravan Palace sounds that is unmistakeably French and charming, and the coordination and antics of the backing band make that identity singularly their own. It’s an experience well worth swinging by the next time they roll through Minneapolis!