Public Image Limited – First Avenue – Minneapolis MN – September 22nd 2026

First Avenue and The Current present Public Image Limited with special guests Plague Vendor

Review and photos by Kyle Hansen

 Plague Vendor wasted little time making an impression at First Avenue on Tuesday night, delivering a fierce, energetic opening performance that set the stage for Public Image Ltd.’s Minneapolis appearance.

The California quartet brought a raw combination of punk intensity and post-punk experimentation to the Mainroom, with vocalist Brandon Blaine providing the evening’s most visible spark. From the opening moments, Blaine moved constantly across the stage, turning the performance into as much a physical spectacle as a musical one.

The band’s sound was equally forceful. Michael Perez’s bass provided a powerful foundation while the guitars and drums drove the songs forward with a tightly controlled sense of chaos. Numbers such as “Jezebel,” “Roses,” “Freight Train” and “Deadend” showed a group capable of pairing aggressive musicianship with infectious momentum.

Blaine repeatedly pushed beyond the traditional boundaries of the stage, interacting with the crowd and bringing an almost theatrical unpredictability to the set. By the latter part of the performance, his shirt was gone and his energy had hardly diminished.

It was a smart pairing with PiL. Plague Vendor’s explosive approach provided a contemporary counterpoint to the British post-punk veterans while sharing their willingness to make rock music feel dangerous and unconventional.

By the time Plague Vendor closed its set with “Unc,” the band had won over the First Avenue crowd. For an opening act, it was an unusually commanding performance — one that left a strong impression before the headliner had even taken the stage.

Public Image Ltd. brought its unmistakable post-punk sound to First Avenue on Tuesday night, September 22, delivering a taut and energetic performance that drew heavily on the band’s distinctive mix of punk aggression, dub-inflected rhythms and experimental rock.

Frontman John Lydon remained the focal point throughout the evening, his unmistakable voice and confrontational stage presence giving the performance its characteristic edge. The band behind him provided a muscular, tightly controlled backdrop, allowing the songs to move between abrasive guitar work, driving rhythms and more atmospheric passages.

The set included several of PiL’s best-known songs, among them “This Is Not a Love Song,” “Poptones,” “Death Disco,” “Warrior” and “Open Up.” “Rise/Religion” provided a particularly strong closing stretch, bringing the evening to an appropriately intense conclusion.

Opening act Plague Vendor set an energetic tone earlier in the evening, preparing the crowd for PiL’s heavier, more unpredictable sound.

First Avenue’s Mainroom was a fitting setting for the performance. The relatively intimate space gave the audience a close view of Lydon while allowing the band’s dense sound to fill the room.

More than four decades after PiL emerged from the original punk explosion, Tuesday’s performance demonstrated that the band’s music can still sound urgent and unconventional. It was a spirited Minneapolis appearance from a group that has never been particularly interested in playing by the usual rules.