Last night Tammy and I went over to St. Paul to see Semisonic at the Palace Theatre. I have no idea how many times we’ve collectively seen Semisonic but we were excited to go again. Their newest album Little Bit of Sun released in 2023, just 22 years after their last album, is very good.

A crowd of people gathering in front of the Palace Theatre with a brightly lit marquee showing SEMISONIC as the night's performance.

Before we get to Semisonic though, we were both also excited to see that Laamar was opening for them.

Laamar

We first saw Laamar at the Dakota about six months ago. Then we saw him again when we saw Dan Wilson at the Women’s Club in February.

Geoffrey Lamar Wilson fronts Laamar and just has a great vibe when he performs. He has been a musician for a while and returned to Minneapolis after growing up here in 2016. We’ve enjoyed his music when we’ve seen him and I’m excited to hear that a full length album is in the works for the fall. I think Laamar is going to go places.

A live concert setting with musicians performing on stage in front of an audience. The stage is lit with blue lighting and features a seated guitarist in the center, with standing band members on either side. There are guitars and other musical equipment arranged around the performers

See this recent interview with Laamar on The Current for more. Sadly Laamar doesn’t have a website of their own, an issue that is hopefully soon to be fixed.

Semisonic

Semisonic took the stage and played a great set. They hit on many of the hits of the past and pulled in songs from the new album as well. Even with Wilson at 62, Munson at 57, and Slichter at 63 they still put on a great performance. The title song off of the new album is delightful but I wish it was longer. I loved that they played Across the Great Divide. Of course they closed with Closing Time.

A band performing on stage in front of an audience with colorful stage lighting. Musicians include a guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist, saxophonist, and a string ensemble.

They paid special homage to playing in St. Paul. Munson highlighted the environmental recovery of the Mississippi River and they auctioned off the Semisonic bass cover from that night in support of the Mississippi Watershed Organization. The show poster also included an image of Otters and they shared that once again Otters are in the Mississippi River.

Wilson is a prolific songwriter well beyond his own work and since Chris Stapleton was playing last night as well at US Bank Stadium they played White Horse which he cowrote with him in the encore.

Setlist for the show:

  1. Chemistry
  2. F.N.T.
  3. Little Bit Of Sun
  4. Keep Me in Motion
  5. Across the Great Divide
  6. Secret Smile
  7. In Another Life
  8. Don’t Fade Away
  9. DND
  10. If You Say So
  11. Never You Mind
  12. The Rope
  13. This Will Be My Year
  14. You’re Not Alone
  15. Closing Time

Encore:

  1. Beautiful Sky
  2. White Horse (Chris Stapleton cover)
  3. Singing in My Sleep
  4. Gone to the Movies