Marina + Mallrat Bring Galactic Moods to Fillmore
Photos Courtesy Of Danica Robinson
Ooooohhh, a toast roasty Monday. Minnesota weather has changed yet again, bringing in our third summer of the year. High temps into the 80s with a thick blanket of humidity. Gross. What should a gal do? Go to a sick ass show with an HVAC that channels the icy winds of Hoth. Better get to The Fillmore for a most anticipated sold-out concert featuring Welsh siren Marina and freshly new-to-the-tour Australian Mallrat.
Trying to switch up my pre-show haunting, moseyed over to Inbound Brewing for a Hazy Shades IPA to wet my whistle. Their beer is so good. Twins game was tainting my cheap parking attempts, but found a meter for $3 an hour by the brewery, not too bad for dreaded event pricing zones. No food truck so happy I brought a Jersey Mike’s sammy to satiate my carb loading requirements. Destroying my food in record time, made my way over to Fillmore, about a 3 minute walk.
Getting there with plenty of time to spare before Mallrat, took a gander at the merch. Prices were STEEP. I did a double take when seeing that the Marina tour shirt was 60 bucks. That’s the highest I’ve seen in a while. They did have a sweet folding fan for $25 and a sheet of Marina’s signature tour exclusive Star Stickers for $15, which I saw a decent amount of people buying. Made for some fun crowd views when they lights got going later in the night. Knowing artists need to make money wherever they can, tried to swallow my judgement for such a spendy assortment. Shows cost money to put on, but with tickets and drinks being eye-wateringly high for many shows, wondering how far fans can be pushed? Everyone needs a cut, but will it be too deep to keep is anyone’s guess. I used to get a shirt every few shows or so. For example, in 2005, tour shirts were $15 to $25 at the merch table. Just something that keeps swirling at every show is sticker shock, love to see a deviation from pushing that limit.
Enough with numbers. To the music!
Mallrat came on stage in an adorable corseted blushing tutu ensemble accompanied by their DJ, surrounded in white light and smoke. The contrast made it easy to see even from back of house by the stairs. Fillmore has fanfrickentastic lighting. Top marks. Every show I’ve been to at the venue is so well articulated and highlighted to each artist. Even with a more limited amount of visuals or bandmates, it never feels like the stage is empty. Space is well used, and Mallrat’s treatment was perfect. Even being the opening support, the crowd was FULL and READY. The beautiful digital grooves mixed with Mallrat’s voice was so relaxing. The ocean of rhythmic nodding heads in the audience bobbed peacefully along with the music, thinking a lot of people including myself needed this reprieve. This was the first night Mallrat joined the Princess Of Power tour, Minneapolis was a most excellent city to hop on. Really enjoyed their calming presence on stage. Also stopping to talk to the crowd in between songs being a newbie is important, and they seemed genuinely happy and pumped to be there (I’m a sucker for a neat accent, Austrailian is one of the neatest.) Before I knew it, Mallrat was singing their last tune, and immediately added to my Spotify follows.
Before the main act, went to the upstairs lounge bar to hang with some fellow music fans. Fillmore had some festive signature mixed drinks, but went with a Fairstate IPA. De-lish. Chatted with two gals who drove up from Iowa that day just for the show. My friend Kate who was also at the show got adorned with a cute little black liquid eyeliner star on her cheek by the friendly pair when we saw them later in the bathroom. Almost everyone was jovial and polite that I met Monday night. Having a good group like that elevates a good show into a great one. A+ fans, Mallrat and Marina.
Headed down to peep the show from a new angle after watching the first song from up top. Jees Louise, she can sing. Aaaand wearing a star-patched cat suit that almost seemed painted on Marina, was impossible to take your eyes away. Everyone was bewitched with how talented she is, her vocals are otherworldly. The 18-song setlist was designed like a videogame tiered system having 6 levels. Starfields, The Heartbreaker, The Cocoon, Digital Fantasies, Party Paradiso, Keys To The Castle. With each level surpassed, the vibe would change. Rreally liked the segmented visuals, created a unique feel and kept the audience plugged in throughout the entire show. No pyro needed, the lazerbeam lusciousness aesthetic provided the perfect glaze. Everyone was dancing and slipping into a true state of fun, a much needed injection to my anxious brain.
Uhg, what a great show. I knew Marina would be a delight, but Mallrat was a delightful surprise pairing with such a strong performer.
