Blue October – Fillmore Minneapolis – Minneapolis MN – February 26th 2023

The Fillmore Minneapolis Presents: Blue October, and Beatnik Bandits – Spinning the Truth Around Tour

I’ve never seen a show here where they had seats covering the main floor and general standing room in the way back behind all the chairs. This was an interesting setup. But for a photographer, this worked out well. I had way more room to run around! The last Fillmore show I attended was for Sabaton, and that place was absolutely packed. It made it unbelievably hard to make it to the pit and to grab shots from the crowd. So thankfully, this setup made it incredibly easier. Enough about that show. Let’s talk about how this one went!

Beatnik Bandits started off the night.  People really seemed to enjoy them. I’ve personally never heard of them, but I think they sounded pretty great. According to Discogs.com, “The Beatnik Bandits are a new breed of classic American musician. Armed with a rock and roll attitude and one hell of a story to tell, this four-piece band from Austin, Texas is out to prove that Folk music isn’t dead.”

Beatnik Bandits Setlist: Junebug Stomp – Smoke Train – Hollywood Sign – Beesting – Grandpa’s Song – Old Ghost – Starlight – Firearms

Headlining act Blue October opened up with their song “The Kitchen Drawer” off their newest record “Spinning the Truth Around” (2022). One thing I thought was interesting with lead vocalist Justin Furstenfield was how personal he was with the crowd. He would crouch down to their level and talk about his journey from addiction to recovery.

He’s very open about mental health and his struggle with alcohol. In addition, Justin also mentioned that he’s been sober now for over 10 years. Since most of his songs come from his personal struggles, fans can relate to the band even more. According to Genius.com, “The band has had 10 top 40 singles as of August 2017 and are best known for their 2 platinum singles ‘Hate Me’ and ‘Into the Ocean’”. The whole band sounded great last night, and I’m hoping I can attend the next Blue October show when they come back into town.

Blue October Setlist: The Kitchen Drawer – The Way I Used To Love You – This Is What I Live For – Oh My My – Say It – Fight for Love – Into the Ocean – The Shape of Your Heart – Home – Hate Me – Spinning the Truth Around – Sway – Shut Up I Want You to Love Me Back – James – Italian Radio – Fear – The Weatherman – The Worry List – Where Did You Go I’m Less of a Mess These Days – Moving on (So Long) – I Hope You’re Happy

Review and Photo by Jake Hageman