Emei – The Fine Line – Minneapolis MN – March 14 2025

Emei live at The Fine Line in Minneapolis MN on March 14 2025

Review and photos by Legion Ratfell

I really like The Fine Line as a venue for its cozy and intimate atmosphere, and Emei’s Minneapolis stop of her Rabbithole Tour was a perfect example. It was a sold out show, and though at doors the room was pretty bare, it quickly filled up even before the openers started. 

Ashley Mehta started the night with some lovely, easy pop and r&b singing. It was just her and a backing track, but she still managed to sway the crowd into participating, dancing, and having a good time. 

Next up was Haiden Henderson and things got really sweaty, really fast. He was a total heartthrob, singing sultrily to the whole crowd, getting up close and personal, and crooning like a popstar. He had an undeniable charisma, his songs were danceable and sexy, his voice was fantastic, and he had both a great sense of humor combined with an electric presence. I would definitely see him again. 

This was a fun show of discovery for me, as I didn’t know any of the acts going on until the day before when I looked them up briefly. I had heard Emei’s song “RABBITHOLE,” the titular song of the tour, and liked its interesting production and Alice in Wonderland theme. But the star of all of it was Emei herself, who bounced on stage with a contagious smile and a bubbly energy that was unmatched. She did so many high-kicks during her set, I don’t know how she was still standing at the end of it. Her music is excellent pop with witty and cheeky lyrics, and she has a sassiness to her that was adorable and immediately ingratiating. 

Emei clearly loves her audience and loves performing; there were so many audience interactions throughout her entire set, including getting directly into the crowd and having everyone sit down around her to sing a sweeter, sadder song. And the crowd loved her back; usually the first few rows are always going hard at a show, but from the balcony you could see people all the way in the back dancing and swaying and singing, and even the balcony was hard to get through with everyone bopping around to all of her songs. 

It was an absolute delight of a show. Definitely check out Emei if you want a crisp, sonically interesting take on pop with excellent vocals and a wonderful visual aesthetic.