Jukebox the Ghost Hit the High Notes at Varsity Theater

Last updated on January 22nd, 2019 at 06:02 am

When you go to see a band that has often been described as a “Queen soundalike,” expectations can understandably be quite high. Although people likely think that description contains nothing but praise, statements like that can also set the bar at an almost unreachable height. How I Met Your Mother fans can equate it to the scene where Marshall states that he didn’t like the movie, Jerry Maguire, simply because his friends raved about it so much that he expected more from the film.

This feeling of doubt compounds, even more, when you have an opener like The Greeting Committee, who put on one of the best performances from an opening act I’ve ever seen in my life. However, Jukebox the Ghost didn’t have a problem exceeding all expectations Tuesday night. When they stepped on stage at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we all knew we were in for a treat.

Tommy Siegel of Jukebox the Ghost at Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota — Tommy Siegel of Jukebox the Ghost – Photo Credit: Justin Bailey

Wasting no time after taking the stage, Ben Thornewill, Jesse Kristin, and newly added member Tommy Siegel grabbed their instruments and were off to the races. Unfortunately, recurring sound issues from earlier in the evening flared up again, handicapping the first few minutes of their performance of “Jumpstarted,” the leading track from their latest release Off To The Races. Those issues were quickly fixed, however, after a nasty glance from Ben towards the sound engineers. The rest of the performance went unhindered after that.

Performing for over an hour and a half, Jukebox the Ghost mixed in a combination of hits, deep cuts, and crowd favorites from all five of the albums in their discography. One of the highlights of the evening being the performance of their latest hit, “Everybody’s Lonely” which can be heard in regular rotation on Go 96.3, a sponsor of the night’s festivities. A performance of Electric Light Orchestra’s “Mr. Blue Sky” was quite a delight as well.

Ben Thornewill of Jukebox the Ghost at Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota — Ben Thornewill of Jukebox the Ghost – Photo Credit: Justin Bailey

Having done this for well over a decade now, Jukebox the Ghost (mostly Ben Thornewill) can command a crowd with ease and are sure to put on a great performance no matter where they are in the country. Be on the lookout for more coming from The Greeting Committee as well. I predict they’ll be selling out this venue all on their own by this time next year.

Jukebox the Ghost continues their tour with The Greeting Committee through May 25th, and will also be performing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 6th at Summerfest.