The Midnight – Palace Theater – St. Paul MN – May 1st 2026

By Legion Ratfell 1 week ago

THE MIDNIGHT – PALACE THEATER – SAINT PAUL, MN – MAY 1ST 2026

Review and photos by Legion Ratfell

Synthwave powerhouse The Midnight brought their Time Machines Tour to The Palace Theater on May 1st, 2026, following the release of their 2025 album Syndicate. I don’t know if it was completely sold out, but the theater was very quickly packed for a night of blue and pink lights, ripping saxophone solos, and heartfelt anthems.

Opening was dreampop duo New Constellations, who brought a lovely, ethereal soundscape of dreamy vocals and floating guitar. They were an absolutely perfect opener for The Midnight, delivering some lower-energy but definitely grooveable tunes. Both of them looked like they were having such a good time, dancing and spinning around. The singer, Harlee Case, has an excellent voice. She’s able to deliver soft and breathy lows and powerful belting highs on top of a soundscape of dreamy synths, a perfect synthwave vibe.

The Midnight has a pretty extensive discography; their newest album alone, Syndicate, has an almost hour and a half runtime with a whopping 17 tracks. I was honestly surprised they didn’t play more off of it, but they have so many big hits that I imagine it’s hard to pick a setlist. They started off with a little mini-medley of three of them, going from “Sanctuary” into “Love Is An Ocean” for the briefest moment before finishing with most of “Friction.” From there it was a lovely mix of favorites from throughout their discography. Tyler was big on crowd participation and asking the crowd to sing, which they delivered enthusiastically, which made it feel like a magical collective experience. There was a good mix of hearing songs as they are on the record and new fun live versions with little idiosyncrasies; the joys of seeing a band live. Their touring saxophonist, Justin Klunk, absolutely killed it on the saxophone solos, of which there are many, most notably on “Vampires,” where he walked through the crowd while blasting the iconic sax solo.

The Midnight captures a beautiful nostalgia for a time and place that doesn’t exist. Tyler’s brooding and romantic lyrics, combined with dreamy visuals and driving beats, make for a truly beautiful experience. Before leading the crowd in a beautiful sing-along of “Los Angeles,” he said that to them, music is magic, and it really felt like it in that room that night. They are so sincere and heartfelt in their music, and it obviously connects. Between moments of dancing to fast-paced songs like “Change Your Heart or Die,” to the beautiful slow, almost acoustic version of “Summer’s Ending Soon,” The Midnight delivered an escapist dreamscape of a show.