As I made my way into downtown St. Paul for one of my most anticipated shows of this year, I couldn’t help but yearn for the show to be outdoors. It was arguably one of, if not the best, weather days so far this spring and I wanted to continue to ride the high of achieving a Boston Qualifying marathon time in the sunshine, either listening to some live music or walking the dogs with some of my favorite new tracks. However, the Palace Theatre wasn’t a bad alternative; this is where Lucy Dacus would be bringing her most recent release “Forever is a Feeling” to life on stage for the first of back to back nights in the Twin Cities, and I had to be there for the opening show.

Although I love a solid two band bill, I was excited to be able to catch all three artists playing the Palace, with jasmine.4.t up first. As usual, my signature move of going in to a show completely blind with at least one artist was in play with jasmine.4.t, the British indie singer-songwriter. What struck me at first about jasmine.4.t’s performance was how emotionally raw it was; from the music itself to the singing to the lyrical content, they gave a proper heart on their sleeve performance that was truly emotionally captivating. The ever appreciative artist seized the opportunity to provide a safe space for all in attendance: from the members of the queer community (with an emphasis on the trans community) to the general wellbeing of all attendees (stopping their set to help a fan in the pit get water/the help they needed), their genuine care for others shined. The crowd was even treated to special guest Katie Gavin for a vocal cameo on “Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation.” While their music may not be put on a regular spin for me, I loved jasmine.4.t’s authentic and genuine live performance.

Up next for the evening was the one and only Katie Gavin, the singer songwriter extraordinaire and front woman of MUNA, who recently released her debut solo album “What A Relief” last fall. Opening her set with “Casual Drug Use,” Gavin came out swinging with the first taste of her anthemic songwriting. Gavin also brought out a special guest for a vocal cameo during the second song “As Good As It Gets,” with jasmine.4.t making a quick return to the stage for an amazing vocal accompaniment. One of the aspects of Gavin’s set that I personally was most looking forward to was the talent of the multi-instrumentalist: not only was Gavin slinging an acoustic guitar for most of the night, but she also brought out her fiddle for a handful of songs (including “The Baton”). I’ve been looking forward to hearing her play since it was hinted at during MUNA’s podcast “Gayotic,” that she was learning the instrument and it did not disappoint. Rounding out the live set with a full band (including drums, bass, keys, and an additional guitar), her time on stage was short and sweet, yet everything I hoped for after shamelessly obsessing over her debut solo album last fall.

Finally, the house lights dimmed signaling the start of Lucy Dacus’ set. Dacus, along with her troupe of touring musicians, emerged onto the stage during the instrumental opening track “Calliope Prelude,” before diving deep into fan favorite track “Hot & Heavy” and lead single “Ankles” off of her most recent album “Forever is a Feeling.” The stage setup was the perfect backdrop for Dacus’ performance; to go along with the visual themes of “Forever is a Feeling,” there were framed screens that flipped through different imagery to visually bring the songs to life. It seemed like there was barely a quiet moment during the nearly twenty song set; the energy from the crowd was palpable for the entirety of the show, steadily building after each song.

One of the best parts of the set was when Dacus brought out, for a lack of better phrasing, the fancy blue and gold couch for a handful of acoustic renditions, made complete with bringing out a guest of her own, Jenn Wasner, for “Bullseye.” Dacus even took a moment to reminisce on her last performance in the Twin Cities at First Avenue from a few years ago, when she had played her set then with two herniated disks, the singer-songwriter relieved to be in a much better state performing in the first of two nights at the Palace. After “Most Wanted Man,” Dacus issued an emotional warning of the soon to be over night to the eager crowd, to which a chorus of heartfelt groans filled the Palace. When Dacus and the band walked off of the stage at the end of “Forever is a Feeling,” it wasn’t long before they all returned to the stage going straight into “True Blue,” a Dacus led boygenius hit. The perfect way to bring an end to an incredible night one in the Twin Cities was the beloved “Night Shift,” with the entire crowd getting lost in the moment, screaming the words back to the stage at the pinnacle moment of the song and officially closing out round one.