Parmalee – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN – February 15th, 2025

Parmalee with Avery Anna and Dylan Davidson – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN – February 15th, 2025

Review and photos by Kate Klaus

Carolina country artists Parmalee brought their “Fell in Love with a Cowgirl” tour to the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on February 15th with a talented lineup of young artists including Nashville singer/songwriter Avery Anna and newcomer Dylan Davidson. 

Dylan Davidson opened the night with a heartfelt solo performance which he announced to be only his third performance ever and dedicated to his parents, who were in attendance.  Despite his rookie status as a performer, his quiet and charming personality lit up the stage, complemented by talented playing and deep warm vocals.  Davidson is certainly a star in the making and one to watch rise on the country scene.

Avery Anna followed with a charismatic set full of beautiful songs and genuine interaction with the crowd. Her music speaks to relatable emotions and situations, and the crowd full of adoring fans was emphatically singing along.  Her voice is pure and with a beautiful tone and her lyrics speaking to heartbreak, strength, pain, addiction, abuse, and relationships show a vulnerability that is honest and genuine and forms a deep connection with her fans.  During her performance, she was particularly attentive to young girls in attendance, with positive messages in her lyrics for these young fans about setting boundaries and personal strength. Her performance was flawless, with a beautiful cover of Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” sprinkled in between her emotionally driven originals.  She swung between playful and fun songs like “Blonde” to “Vanilla”, where she addresses the importance of personal boundaries and respect, and the unreleased “Cheerios” which speaks to dealing with addiction in a loved one.  She closed her set with crowd favorites “Narcissist” and “Make it Look Easy” for a beautiful end to a brilliant and captivating performance.  

Parmalee closed the night with an energetic and emotional performance that had the packed theater entranced.  They opened with an unreleased song “Feels like Home” and their energy lit up the room.  It’s quickly apparent how happy and grateful they are to be able to be playing shows like this, and throughout the night, that energy only increased.  Before playing their hit “Carolina”, lead vocalist Matt Thomas spoke to their beginning as a band, and the struggle that led to the place they’re so grateful to now be in.  Sharing in this energy, the crowd joined in for the chorus in the song, filling the theater with a beautiful choir of voices.  Joined by his brother Scott on drums and bassist Barry Knox and guitarist Josh McSwain, their musicality was top notch.  Following this, Avery Anna joined them on stage for “Lose You Again” and then a cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste”. Toward the end of the set, they performed “Cowgirl” for which the tour is named, with their characteristic fun country swagger.  After another fun cover of Usher’s “Yeah”, they closed their set with another unreleased song “Beautiful”, and ending with “Just the Way” and “Take my Name” closing a beautiful night of music and crowd connection.