Semisonic rock the Current’s 18th anniversary with sold-out First Avenue shows
by Joel Swenson and Darin Kamnetz
January 30, 2023
Frigid temps in the single digits didn’t slow down Semisonic and Chastity Brown, who teamed up to play two sold-out First Avenue shows celebrating The Current’s 18th anniversary this past weekend. The only thing that could make that statement sound even more Minnesotan is if the Purple One himself had reincarnated to dole out bowls of tater tot hotdish.
Friday night’s show began with a brief welcome and thank you from The Current’s music director, Jade. “I’d like you all to let out a big cheer for being here despite the cold and put your hands together for Chastity Brown!”
The crowd zealously obliged.
Brown entered to a roaring applause and took her place at the keyboard set up at center stage. Without a word, the Minneapolis-based singer and songwriter let a few vibrato-soaked electric piano chords ring out before adding her voice into the mix. From the moment she sang her first note, the crowd was captivated. Her sharp, soulful voice cut beautifully through the buttery smooth piano notes as she worked through her first song.
Turning away from the keyboard, she strapped on a guitar and began strumming the first few chords of “Back Seat.” The song kicked in, and Brown began tapping her foot on a loop pedal to add a pulsing bass drum beat underneath her guitar playing. It added just enough rhythm to keep the song moving without overshadowing Brown’s playing or singing.
As Brown’s set progressed, she switched back and forth between the keyboard and her guitar several times. Before launching into “Wonderment,” she spoke of traveling to L.A. a few years ago to write some songs with Semisonic’s Dan Wilson.
”I thought I could just bring this brilliant man some ideas, and he’d whip sh*t up for me,” she recalled. “But he did none of that. He guided me and would say things like, ‘You know what? I wonder if this bit would sound good here.’”
As she played the song, it was clear that all the good bits ended up exactly where they needed to be.
By far, the most impactful moment in Brown’s set came during “Golden,” off her 2022 release Sing to the Walls. The song’s chorus — “So why have I got to be angry / Oh, why I have got to be angry / Why have I got to be angry / Up in here” — felt even more justified in light of the horrific footage of Tyre Nichols’ killing at the hands of Memphis police released just a few hours before Brown took the stage.
With no backing band, Brown held the entire spotlight for her 45-minute set. Her minimalist approach to playing songs usually heard with a full band managed not to feel too stripped down or out of place in such a large room. Rather, it was quite the opposite. Between her skillful playing and powerful voice, she effortlessly filled every square inch of the Mainroom with each note.
Before Semisonic took the stage, it was time again for another thank you from The Current — this time from Morning Show host Jill Riley, who’s been with the station since day one. As Riley exited the stage, Atmosphere’s “Always Coming Back Home to You” filled the room and Semisonic entered. Wasting no time, they immediately went into a block of songs off their 1996 major label debut, Great Divide, starting with “The Prize.”
Semisonic is Dan Wilson on lead vocals and guitar, John Munson on bass and backing vocals, and Jacob Slichter on drums and backing vocals. The alternative rock trio formed in Minneapolis in 1995 following the breakup of Wilson and Munson’s previous band, Trip Shakespeare.
After garnering some buzz with Great Divide, they experienced breakthrough success with 1998’s Feeling Strangely Fine. The platinum album’s colossal lead single, “Closing Time,” hit number one on the Billboard Alternative Rock charts and eight on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40. Every bar in America will forever play it at last call — though it’s about the birth of Wilson’s first child.
Following 2001’s All About Chemistry, Semisonic went on a lengthy hiatus, but all three members stayed involved with music in one form or another. Slichter wrote a book, So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star, and began teaching at Sarah Lawrence College. Munson has played in several bands (the Twilight Hours, the Flops, the New Standards) and began teaching at MCTC. Wilson became a multiple-Grammy-winning songwriter and producer, collaborating with Adele, Celine Dion, The Chicks, Josh Groban, Pink, John Legend, Taylor Swift, and Leon Bridges, among many others.
Semisonic reunited in 2017 for a few shows and have performed together sporadically ever since. In September 2020, they released their first new music in nearly 20 years with the EP You’re Not Alone.
At this weekend’s shows (along with a more intimate show at Icehouse on Wednesday night), Semisonic played a career-spanning set with three new songs thrown in for good measure. It was immediately apparent that even after the long hiatus, Semisonic still love being on stage together. Wilson and Munson took every chance to leave their posts at their respective mics and jam together at center stage, grinning ear to ear. Following “F.N.T.,” they took a moment to address the crowd and each other for the first time.
“Hello!” Wilson then turned toward Munson. “When was the last time we were in this room together? 2017? 2018”
Munson: “Long enough ago that I just watched a video of that show and thought: ‘Well, they’re not going to see that tonight!’ I was way more energetic back then.”
Munson and the rest of the band, including live members Andy Thompson on keys and guitar and Ken Chastain on auxiliary percussion (or Kandy as Munson collectively referred to them), gave an extraordinarily memorable and energetic performance. Munson and Wilson’s witty, jovial banter further punctuated that energy.
Following the “Great Divide” block, they pulled out two songs from You’re Not Alone — the title track and “Basement Tapes” — along with Feeling Strangely Fine’s “Singing In My Sleep.” The latter inspired many in the crowd to reach for their phones and capture the moment.
Before playing the first of their three new songs of the night, Wilson took a moment to introduce the song as being about hope. “And every year that comes along just seems like an even more perfect year for this song.”
“Little Bit of Sun” is indeed hopeful, both lyrically and in its upbeat rhythm. It’s bouncy and has an air of positivity that just makes you feel good when you hear it. As it wrapped up, Munson introduced another new song to big cheers from the crowd.
“That’s nice of you to react that way. Sometimes when a band says they’re going to play a new song, I’m like, ‘Nope! I didn’t come here for that!’”
Munson handled lead vocals on “If You Say So” and, as with “Little Bit of Sun,” it sounds very much like classic Semisonic, albeit slightly updated for the modern aural palette. It features Munson’s thumping basslines, Slichter’s rock-solid drumming, and Wilson’s super-catchy leads. But it also features tons of ear candy (or ear Kandy, rather) from Thompson and Chastain, namely Chastain’s glockenspiel.
Following the new songs, Semisonic launched into a block of solid numbers from Feeling Strangely Fine and “Chemistry” from All About Chemistry. Each song sounded spectacular and featured an extra bit of live panache that isn’t always present in the album versions.
Only one Semisonic song makes sense to close out their main set. As Wilson started strumming the first few chords of “Closing Time,” the crowd went wild, and phone screens illuminated. Wilson exploded into the song’s iconic chorus with a bright flash from the stage lights, and we were all temporarily transported back to 1998. Wilson was even doing his side-to-side hip shimmy, as seen in the band’s Late Show appearance.
“Closing Time” ended, and the band exited briefly. Very briefly. They were back and ready to rip through an encore in less than a minute. Munson handed his bass to Chastain and grabbed the mic to start things off.
“We’re really fortunate to have grown up in a town that worships music as much as it does,” he said. “So we’re going to play one of the best songs by one of the best bands ever to come out of Minneapolis now.”
“Are you going to tell them who it’s by?” asked Wilson.
“They’ll know.”
Munson began belting out “Cows” by the Suburbs while thrashing around the stage like the frontman he was born to be. Rounding out the encore was “Secret Smile,” “Never You Mind,” and “El Matador.”
There was no question about how Semisonic felt about being back onstage after all these years. They were energetic and gracious, and they sounded phenomenal. Before last week’s run of shows, the last time the band performed live was at the 2019 Basilica Block Party. In the years since, they’ve had six shows booked, none of which happened due to the pandemic.
But with new songs in rotation and more reliable live opportunities, there appears to be a new beginning in Semisonic’s future — hopefully this time with no closing time in sight.
Setlist
The Prize
Across the Great Divide
F.N.T.
Brand New Baby
Basement Tapes
You’re Not Alone
Singing in My Sleep
Little Bit of Sun (new song)
If You Say So (new song)
DND
Chemistry
The Rope (new song)
All Worked Out
This Will be my Year
Closing Time
Encore
Cows (the Suburbs cover)
Secret Smile
Never You Mind
El Matador
