Day 28: Minneapolis MN
Welcome
Yesterday we played the final show of our 2022 Winter USA tour and said goodbye to our friends Will, Lunar Vacation, and of course Robert.
We started our day with a walk down to Minneapolis’s Warehouse District where we stopped in at Bellacour Bakery to pick up breakfast. I had a BLT Croissant.
After eating our food Tristan and I went for a walk along the Mississippi River and saw some of the city’s great attractions. We walked across Stone Arch Bridge, gazed at Saint Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, and marveled at the Hennepin Avenue Bridge.
Walking across Stone Arch Bridge (the second oldest bridge over the Mississippi).
Saint Anthony Falls Dam.
Saint Anthony Falls Lock. Close in 2015 to quell the possible spread of invasive carp species.
The Hennepin Avenue Bridge is a steel suspension bridge that carries 6 lanes of vehicle traffic across the Mississippi River. Built in 1990 it is 316m long with a main suspended span of 190m. This is actually the fourth structure to be constructed on this exact spot. The original suspension bridge was built in 1854 and was famous for being the first permanent bridge across the Mississippi - a fact that earned it the nickname ‘Gateway to the West’. The second suspension bridge was opened in 1876 but suffered from maintenance problems and was replaced by a steel arch bridge in 1891. This remained in place for almost a century until the need for more vehicle lanes caused it to be replaced by the current structure.
In the afternoon we completed our final load-in, final soundcheck, final merch count-in, final setup of the birds, and final eating of the rider before the show. In a bittersweet turn of fate I even received a final Airpods Max Detected notification.
It was our first ever headline show in Minneapolis and it went extremely well. The night was characterised by screaming and pointed-finger hand bobbing from the energetic yet supportive crowd, and fiery performances from the band who played some of the best renditions and made some of the best mistakes of the tour.
Rocking out on the stage of the Fine Line Music Cafe.
📷 Jacob Snell.
The aftermath.
Afterwards we had to complete a rapid-pack down to get all of our amps, drums, and leftover merch ready for the courier pickup at midnight. With everything squared away we were free to open the fizzy wine and celebrate with our great friends and roommates Lunar Vacation.
Liz and Grace safely opening the beverages.
Tristan tells one of his drums stories to a captivated group.
Liz signing the New Zealand section of the greenroom wall.
Lunar Vacation, The Beths, Will.
Taken right before we headed off to the airport at 5am. Currently the only known photograph of Robert.
We are incredibly grateful that this tour was able to happen. Thanks to everyone who came out to see us and thanks for wearing masks and getting vaccinated - we couldn’t have done it without you and it still feels surreal that it has happened.
Thanks to Lunar Vacation for putting up with our extremely strict COVID protocols and never complaining.
Thanks to Robert for getting us everywhere safely and doing such good parking.
Thanks to Liz, Jon and Tristan for being a dream to tour with and for being such bloody great musicians.
Thanks to Jacob Snell for doing an incredible job behind the scenes and also in the scenes.
Catch you all on the next one.