Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Kimbra (w/ The Stepkids) in Minneapolis @ The Varsity Theatre 10/16/12


Setlist

Limbo
Posse
Good Intent
Plain Gold Ring
Two Way Street
Marigold
Old Flame
Settle Down
Warrior
Something In the Way You Are
Cameo Lover
Come Into My Head

Encore
Withdraw
Call Me

Well, this is just a portion of a review, if I manage to add more tomorrow to this. But, great show overall. "Withdraw" was definitely the surprise, as I hadn't checked any other setlists before the show tonight.

Like the show I saw when she opened for Gotye last April, she has a very tight band. And the sound at The Varsity Theatre was better than that show at Epic certainly. However, it's odd how her sound and band have many styles or approaches live. At times her band comes across as heavy and VERY LAYERED. Her studio music can too, but especially the 2011 Vows, I never had issue with it. At times the heavy synths almost overpowered some of the wonderful subtleties in her music.

But for the most part, her performance, the setlist, the venue, sitting upstairs at The Varsity Theatre for the first time, etc really couldn't have been any better.

And of course Kimbra's arrangements and interpretations of these songs are very *live*. Why I think she gets how to give music both a new spin live, as well as the desired ENERGY live.

The Stepkids opened, and were probably even better than the 1st time I saw them open for Mayer Hawthorne back in May at First Ave.

more to add...(crowd, media coverage, and other opinions)