Anna Paulson
My monday night started on a train. I was heading to see the Atlanta-based synthwave duo, The Midnight, live at First Avenue.
The Midnight have raised a cult following exclusively through their online presence. My friends and I have been fans since 2014, after we heard their music on a random Reddit post.
It was nice to to see that they included Minneapolis as a destination on their world tour. I was excited to hear their unique sound of 80’s retro-wave and captivating choruses live.
First Avenue was filled with many types of people. The energy and cheers from the fans were more guttural than I’ve ever experienced in a crowd.
This band hits on something profound that those with a fondness for the nostalgic sound of the ’80s, and a need for communal feeling, haven’t found anywhere else.
The Midnight began and immediately shipped us away into another world. Their light show, combined with the intro, was ethereal and enthusiastically welcomed by the crowd.
There are some bands whose presence solidifies you in the moment of the show, making you very aware of everything around you. The Midnight is one of those groups. They whisked the crowd away in a DeLorean, flying them to both places they have been and everywhere they wanted to go.
The performance itself was fantastically played and well-received. The band thrives off an ebb-and-flow of calm atmosphere and climactic instrumental passages. Anthemic choruses tie it all together.
There is no feeling in the world like yelling, “Oh Gloria, I feel so much better/I feel so much better today/it’s not the drugs, and it’s not the weather/I just feel so much better today” with a group of people you’ve never met, but suddenly know deeply, even if it’s fleeting and through a common thread of feeling.
The Midnight is one reason why live music will never die.
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