Bilmuri’s “KINDA HARD” world tour made a stop at the Armory in Minneapolis, MN, on April 30th, joined by The Home Team and GANG! And it was a night of high-energy, heavy yet invigorating music from all 3 bands. GANG! started off the night blasting onto stage in their characteristic jumpsuits and green masks to blow through their set in the best possible way, which was loud, fast, and messy, but without actually losing control. The crowd became part of the performance pretty quickly, as GANG!’s songs had an anthem-like quality, and they were up on the edge of the stage engaging the crowd. They seemed genuinely in awe of the size of the crowd at the Amory, taking in every moment and reflecting that energy back to the crowd for an amazing start to the show.
The Home Team was up next, and switched the vibe to an almost arena-style rock show feel. From the second they hit the stage, their energy was huge, with frontman Brian Butcher absolutely commanding the stage with his smooth vocals, massive tone, and charismatic smile. It’s hard to even describe their sound, as it incorporates pop punk, alternative rock, post-hardcore, and even some R&B on the slower songs with dynamic vocals. What really sets them apart from many modern alternative bands is their confidence. They fully lean into being dramatic and fun without trying to act overly serious, which made for a great lead-in to Bilmuri’s set.
Bilmuri then took the stage amid the crowd’s explosive screams. Opening appropriately with “KINDA HARD”, they brought the energy right from the start. Gabi Rose’s phenomenal saxophone playing was immediately on display, which caused the crowd to erupt in support. Lead singer Johnny Franck controlled the room like he was hosting both a comedy show and a post-hardcore concert at the same time. One second he was making ridiculous jokes with the crowd and laughing along with them; the next, he was leading thousands of people through massive emotional sing-alongs. There is so much emotion to their lyrics, and it’s apparent that the cathartic way that Johnny delivers them shows a depth of emotional connection to his music.
The entire band is extremely tight musically, with Rose as a centerpiece with the most intricate and animated saxophone (and flute) playing that lights up the stage. But even more apparent in their live performance was the incredible harmonization between Gabi and Johnny’s voices. The way they blended, particularly during emotionally charged moments, was almost ethereal, adding a spectacularly engaging element to their performance. While they played a lot of songs from their newly released “KINDA HARD” album, they mixed in the perfect amount of songs from previous albums (“Blindsided”, “2016 Cavaliers (Ohio)”) and a few deeper cuts (“FLOURIDEINTHEHARDSELTZERWATER”), and when they closed with “BETTER HELL (Thicc Boi)”, the night of country-core weirdness solidified itself as one of the most genuine and cathartic live experiences in modern alternative music.
Be the first to comment