In a world that’s constantly changing, there are few things you can count on. Death, taxes, and Pi are obvious constants, but my experience has led me to discover a few more, including some in the often turbulent world of music fandom.
The encore, the town shoutout, the slightly overpriced beer, the merch table. These are examples of several staples of the live music scene that we more or less take for granted. These should be appreciated for what they’re worth but there’s one lesson I’ve learned that trumps them all: Never miss a hometown show. The reasons for this are plenty and should be somewhat self-evident but the formula basically boils down to this: at hometown shows, the band usually dials up the energy to their most devoted fans, many of whom have been following them since their early days. Saturday night at The Palace proved no exception to this rule, as Hippo Campus dominated in their return to their hometown of Saint Paul.
I arrived at The Palace early to interview the opening act, California-natives Sure Sure. An hour and a half before the show, the line to the venue already extended around the block. This shows the passion Hippo fans have for their band, a passion that was evident throughout.
Sure Sure took the stage, greeted with cheers by a crowd that likely wasn’t very familiar with their work, and showed they deserved all the cheers they got from the opening tip. Starting off with “Giants,” one of their bigger songs, the band took little time to hit their stride and establish their sound, a somewhat mellow, synthy blend of indie pop.
The sound was clean, and the harmonies were cleaner. The synths got a little bouncier on “The Girls,” which also saw fine interplay between keyboards and the lone guitar. The show rolled along nicely, with “New Biome” and “Friends” showcasing their fine songcraft, and “Koreatown” rocking a little harder than its predecessors. The mellow “Day Dreamer” segued right into a choice cover of the Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place,” a favorite of mine. After closing the set with their hit “Hands Up Heads Down,” the band walked off stage confidently, likely having earned a few new fans over the course of the set.
After a short set break, Hippo Campus took the stage. Saying they walked into the excitement of the audience would be an understatement, these fans were enthralled from the moment Hippo Campus took the stage until well after the closing notes.
Their opening song, “Poems,” was actually a relatively sparse and mellow number, a smart and savvy move from the young band. The audience knew every word, and would know every word from that point forward, including on the next track, the catchy “Suicide Saturday.” The tempo was ramped just a bit, and the breezy guitar licks moved along nicely. To the elation of fans, the band came out of the bridge into a large rock climax, a move they would execute just as effectively several more times throughout the show.
After the percussive and buoyant “Western Kids,” the crowd was treated to a surprise: a new song, the first of two the band would play in the set. The song, reportedly titled “No Pomegranates” was punky in a way most Hippo songs aren’t, and its inclusion was refreshing and a nice change of pace in the otherwise pop/rock-centric set. One of the tightest moments of the night came in the form of “Little Grace,” an audience favorite with a faster tempo.
A few from their release Warm Glow brought more of the same, with the title track featuring a muted trumpet, always a win in my book. The song was a little long for my liking, but they kept it interesting.
After playing “Simple Season,” another crowd favorite (aren’t they all!?), the band leapt into another new song, this one a little more true to form. “Baseball” and “South,” two of my favorites, followed. The latter featured a particularly explosive and climactic finish. The slowest and second-to-last song of the set was “Monsoon.” To the band’s credit, the audience remained engaged and excited throughout in spite of the change of pace.
The set closed with a take on their popular “The Way It Goes.” Last time I saw them, this song opened the set, but it felt right at home at the back end as well. After a brief break, the band returned with one final surprise- a run through “The Halocline,” a rarely performed jam from their early days. To the surprise of nobody, the audience again sang along to every word, showing once and for all that, though there are many uncertainties in this crazy world, you can count on Hippo Campus to deliver one to the home team.
