Justin Furstenfeld – The Fillmore – Minneapolis MN – February 15th 2026
Justin Furstenfeld – The Fillmore – Minneapolis MN – February 15th 2026
Review and photos by Legion Ratfell
Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October brought his An Open Book: I Laugh At Myself tour to The Fillmore on Sunday, February 17th, 2026. These tours are essentially a Blue October show, but stripped down to just Justin’s vocals and an acoustic guitar, with bouts of commentary and stories from Justin’s life that give more insight into the making and meaning of the songs.
Blue October’s music is already very intimate and vulnerable, as Justin has pulled no punches in writing about his specific struggles, and these shows are even more so. The encouragement to put phones away and take no photos or videos also helped solidify a sense of presence and magic in the moments.
I’ve been a fan of Blue October since the early 2000s, and saw An Open Book tour back in 2013 or 2014, and have seen Blue October a few times here in the cities throughout the years as well. Their music is something I really enjoy live, and watching Justin perform is honestly mesmerizing enough to warrant going to multiple shows. He has one of those voices that I can listen to sing just about anything, and even though I’d dropped off a bit on their most recent albums, it didn’t really matter; the songs still hit the heartstrings.
The show had a bit of emotional whiplash throughout, with laugh-along stories and Justin’s infectious charisma between highly emotional and cry-worthy songs. He is an engaging speaker as well as songwriter, and the whole show was such a beautiful example of human existence and engagement. He went through the ups and downs of his life through his stories and songs, and clearly people related, as the room was full but mostly rapturously quiet throughout (besides of course a few loud woos here and there from those who couldn’t help it).
Covering albums and songs from throughout Blue October’s discography, it was an excellent show for older fans and newer, with a couple sing-a-longs thrown in for good measure. My personal favorite was “Into the Ocean,” one of my favorite Blue October songs since I first heard it years ago.
It was very cool to see an artist that I’ve progressed with through the years, still making music like he can’t help it and seeing how that still connects with so many people. The quiet, the dark, and the sound of Justin’s voice ringing through it all made for a lovely, intimate escape of an evening.
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