The Art of Intimate Concerts
A review of 7th Street Entry’s New Years Eve-Eve concert
By Shanna Sivakumar with art by Natalie Williams
Music is somehow a universal, public love and also an incredibly personal experience for all. Prior to 7th Street Entry’s New Years Eve-Eve concert, I had only ever attended big scale concerts of widely known artists, with crowds of people pushing against you as they try to take your place in the audience, phones held above their heads for the entire set.
In contrast, this New Years Eve-Eve concert was held in an intimate venue, where I could see each chord the guitarist strummed. To see artists in a small venue gives you an experience that is incredibly special. I was lucky enough to listen to five new artists from Minnesota that had so much talent packed into their sets.
Walking into the First Avenue & 7th St Entry venue, I was greeted by DJ Qani, a Minneapolis-based DJ. He entertained the crowd before, after, and in between artist performances. I really enjoyed his mixes, as they were based in more R&B songs and provided a nice cleanse between each of the band-heavy artists.
The first opener of the night was Tysm!, a 21-year-old Asian American artist with an impressive baritone flow and deep-bass instrumentals. His music would be best described by a large venn diagram with each circle a different genre— rock, rap, indie, and pop— and his discography would go in the center where all the circles overlap. Some of his songs get you jumping in the air, while others give you a bad case of the stank face. Either way, a pleasure to listen to.
The next opener was alternative sister duo, Creeping Charlie. The best way to describe their music is to equate it to a beautiful view from a cabin that looks out over a lake. Except sometimes the view kickstarts an existential yet introspective crisis with the listener (in a good way!). From soft, creeping melodies (no pun intended) to alternative rock head-bangers, Creeping Charlie delivered a wide range of music.
The third artist and special guest performer of the evening was singer-songwriter Ber, a Minneapolis native with a gorgeous voice. She’s responsible for the Tiktok-viral song “Meant To Be,” which has racked up over 60 million Spotify streams. I was lucky enough to hear her sing it live and acoustic. Her stage presence was laid-back and comfortable, and she navigated the crowd with grace. For most of her set, headliner Landon Conrath was on stage with her as a guitarist, which was a delight to see. Ber is truly so talented and loves to perform, and it was visible when I watched her performance that night.
And finally, as the headline act of the night, Landon Conrath took the mic. He performed many songs from his impressive debut album, “Nothing Matters Anyway,” to an energetic and devoted crowd. I loved his set, but also the way he communicated with the audience, cracking jokes with them and being honest about how he was feeling that night. I really enjoyed hearing his music with a live band and getting to see him perform as a guitarist and a singer. And after going home and listening to his studio releases, it’s easy to see that he’s a natural at making music.
It was also Julia’s (Creeping Charlie’s lead singer) birthday that night, and it was wonderful to get to be a part of her birthday celebration! Ber got her up on stage and the crowd wished her a happy birthday, which was a fun surprise for the audience but more of a surprise for Julia herself.
The best part of the New Year’s Eve-Eve concert was the casual atmosphere around it. It felt like we were friends with all of the artists, getting to hear fun new music (new to me, at least) and celebrating local Minnesota talent. I walked into the concert with no prior knowledge of any of the artists but I walked out with a playlist of new songs to listen and enjoy. I never realized how talented the local Minneapolis music scene is, and I’ll continue to get my hands on as many tickets for local venues as I can.