Hippo Campus Kicks Off Tour at Palace Theatre

On another rainy, gloomy night, Hippo Campus brought their Bambi tour home to Palace Theatre in Saint Paul. For this second leg of their tour, they brought along Blaine indie rockers Now, Now as their openers.

Now, Now Palace Theatre 2018 — Photo by Alex Kohnstamm

Now, Now is touring behind their new album, Saved. This marks their first tour since they released their last album, Threads, in 2012. Their sound is somewhat similar to Mitski, another energetic four-piece band that features a young female vocalist.

As is typical for an all-ages show, the energy from the crowd was more swaying and head bobbing than anything else. Unfortunately, the vocals were often drowned out by how loud the music was mixed, especially the kick drum. I couldn’t understand most of the lyrics, but I think that’s what they were going for. This is a band that lives for their breakdowns and they had fun doing it.

Hippo Campus just released their second album, Bambi, in September. They recently came through Minnesota in February, still touring on their previous album, Landmark. Amazingly, they are still selling out shows. That’s a great feat for a local band.

Hippo Campus Palace Theatre 2018 — Photo by Alex Kohnstamm

Did you know that Hippo Campus did their very first interview with Music in Minnesota? Check it out here!

They took the stage to a wall of screams. The younger crowd shouted along to every word, which is pretty rare for a local band. It’s difficult enough to get your music heard, much less loved enough to be memorized and shouted by a sold out theater.

Jake Luppen’s vocals were clear, modified, and repeated at times, but the effects didn’t mask his strong voice. Nathan Stocker, their guitarist, is pretty amazing at both picking and harmonizing. The bands harmonies were tight all around, featuring all five members.

Taking cues from their new album, they are playing more with their sounds. This notably includes letting DeCarlo Jackson, their trumpeter, be the star on a good number of songs. He even plays bass when bassist Zach Sutton plays keys. Impressive all around.

The whole crowd lost it when they got to their signature song, “Suicide Saturday,” which appeared surprisingly early in the set. A few songs later they played one of their earliest tracks, “Honestly,” which they dedicated to “all those that have been with us since the beginning.” The loud, intense reaction of the crowd was like nothing I’ve ever heard at a place like The Palace, or anywhere else for that matter. It was a pretty incredible sight, especially considering that they’re a local band.

Hippo Campus are getting more and more creative as they mature. Even though they are still young, they already know how to play to their audience. When the show ended, the crowd screamed and flooded the theater with their camera flashlights until they came on to play an encore. I’d never seen anything like it. I would say it was the best show I’ve seen in The Palace Theatre.

The band will be in Minnesota for one more night before continuing on their US and European tours. Give Bambi a listen when you have a chance, you won’t be disappointed.