Kurt Vile brings Bottle It In to First Avenue in Minneapolis

This guitar is broken.

With a setlist heavy on songs from his 2018 album Bottle It In, Kurt Vile brought the jams (and the amazing hair) to a near-capacity crowd at First Avenue’s mainroom. From the start, it was obvious that Kurt Vile and his band The Violators were feeling out the vibe, and opening track “Loading Zones” didn’t pack quite the punch of the album version. But it didn’t take long for the band to get dialed in.

“Wakin’ on a Pretty Day” from the 2013 release Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze may have been the best song played all night. Nearing ten minutes long, the outro got heavy with Vile hammering at his acoustic guitar while the rest of the band rocked hard. “KV Crimes” from the same album was also exceptional, as was the solo-acoustic tune “Runner Ups” from the 2011 release Smoke Ring For My Halo.

A few times during the show, Kurt Vile seemed angry about how his guitars were playing, at one point retuning his acoustic and saying “This guitar is broken.” But that anger didn’t stick around long. Vile, who has been known to quietly hide behind his draped long hair, actually bantered to the crowd on several occasions, joking and sharing his love for Minneapolis. Although it took a few songs to warm up, Kurt Vile at First Avenue was incredible by the end. I highly recommend checking him out in 2019 on his extensive tour.