Lizzo and Caroline Smith at First Avenue
Lizzo and Caroline Smith throw Girl Party at First Avenue
First off, this show was incredible! It’s been a while since I’ve felt such a contagious electric energy the moment I stepped into First Avenue. The place was buzzing with a sold out crowd, and Grrrl Prty djs Shannon Blowtorch and Sophia Eris got the party started with a mixed set of hip hop and dance music. The mostly young (and abundantly female) crowd was into it from the start.
By the time Caroline Smith and Lizzo hit the stage, First Avenue was at capacity and heating up fast. The band took the stage first and began playing before Caroline Smith and Lizzo bombarded it with their brand new single “Let ‘Em Say“. From there, Smith who is known for her folk and soul roots, showed that she can indeed hang with Lizzo and her hip hop songs. Lizzo too, had no problem whatsoever singing the more stripped down neo-soul tunes of Caroline.
Back and forth for two hours, Caroline Smith and Lizzo rocked First Avenue, sometimes together on stage, and other times one of the singers would step aside letting the other singer have the stage alone with the band. Lizzo had her Grrrl Prty when it was her turn, and along with the fantastic band made up local guitarist / producer Jake Hanson, drummer Arlen Peiffer, bassist Jesse Schuster, two backup singers and others, her hip hop songs were full of energy and sounded wonderful.
Before “Kind of Man”, Caroline Smith gave a sincere shoutout to all of the men in the room. For a show sponsored by the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, that was a nice gesture. Lizzo’s shoutout to the ladies moments later made it once again known that it was a girl party. That became especially evident at the end of the set when Lizzo and Caroline removed their tops to celebrate their beautifully normal female bodies. The stage was then swarmed by the members of Grrrl Party and several other women, jumping around and dancing in their underwear.
I’ve seen Caroline Smith several times now, but this show stood out to me as being exceptionally good. Not only is she a great singer, but she is truly a fine performer as well. She seemed loose and was all smiles as she worked the stage with Lizzo. Lizzo too is a fine performer, and the backing band really kicked her hip hop sound up a notch, making the entire crowd groove through the evening. This was easily one of the most fun shows I’ve seen this year. It’s good to celebrate empowering women in Minneapolis with supremely talented local artists.
Lizzo and Caroline Smith at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN 9.27.14 Setlist
Let ‘Em Say
All That I Know Is (I’m Your Baby)
Push It
Batches & Cookies
Buy Me Something
Tanktop
;;;
W.E.R.K Pt. II
Hot Dish
Lizzie Borden
Half About
Go
Kind of Man
Bloodstyle
Bloodlines
F**** A*****
Grrrl Anthem
Bus Passes and Happy Meals
Wut U Mean
Walking Off
The One Thing
Magazine
Child of Moving
Faded
Encore:
Run the World
