Blondshell’s “If You Asked For A Tour” Live at a Sold Out Fineline
Indie rock artist, Sabrina Teitelbaum—who performs under the moniker Blondshell, took the stage at a sold out Fineline in Minneapolis Wednesday night with a performance that was the perfect top off to a rainy downtown evening. The room was filled with an atmosphere that felt intense and overtaking, but in the most relaxing and feel-good nature possible. Although the show was sold out and filled wall to wall, Blondshell’s performance felt intimate and personable.
Opening for Blondshell was Meg Elsier, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the merch table after her set. It was her first time in Minneapolis and she had the energy in the room high, fairly early into the set. I had not listened to her music prior to Wednesday night, but I ended up absolutely loving her entire set. Songs from her recent album were indeed added to my playlist the minute her set ended. She packed a punch with a preview of her upcoming release, and her more well known songs like “sportscar” and “ifshitfuq”. Her outfit was iconic and her smile and excitement felt genuine which made her set so much fun to watch. Although it was her first show on the tour and first time in Minneapolis, she spoke to the crowd as if she had known everyone in the room personally for years.
I first stumbled across Teitelbaum's music at Hinterland Music Festival in 2024 and while I thoroughly enjoyed her shorter set that was earlier in the day at the festival- I was ecstatic to be able to enjoy a full Blondshell concert. I’ve have been drawn to the 90’s vibe and the audience her music reaches ever since seeing her for the first time at that music festival in the middle of Iowa. This was evident at her sold out show at Fineline, as there wasn’t just one demographic attending but instead attendees from all across the board.
Blondshell’s current tour, “If You Asked For A Tour” kicked off in lieu of the release of her sophomore album If You Asked For A Picture which was released earlier this year in May. My biggest take away from her set was the natural and free flowy vibe her and her band had on stage. I can imagine a sold venue is always intimidating to any artist no matter their years of experience but she took the stage with a quiet confidence that was not to be mistaken for intimidation and just danced and jammed like her and her band were performing for themselves in a basement practice space. While I was so excited to hear "Olympus” and “Salad”, I think I was even more excited to hear songs from her recent album and have new music to fall in love with all over again such as “Event of a Fire” and “Toy”.
Everything about Teitelbaum's set was intimate and friendly. I felt no different attending this show then I did performing a friend’s show at a local DIY space. I’m not sure if it was the simple banner reading “Blondshell” being the only stage dressing or Teitelbaum herself appearing in a messy bun (arguably the best messy bun I’ve seen none the less) and showing up authentically. It’s reassuring that no matter how large her career gets (I’m confident it’ll just get bigger), she will always show up as herself and continue to pour all her love and experiences into Blondshell and continue to create spaces where fans feel like friends and the songs feel like ours as well.
