Blake Rose Leaves Minneapolis Feeling Suddenly Okay
By Rebecca Ackerman
Tucked away in 7th St Entry on April 15th, Blake Rose brought his first headlining tour to Minneapolis. The front of the stage was surrounded by wheat, emulating the tour poster and the cover of his newest EP, Suddenly Okay.
Opening the night was singer-songwriter and Oregon native, Max McNown. He serenaded the crowd with his sultry, country voice; at the end of his set, even whistled the last notes. For someone who has only started releasing and practicing music in the past year, he’s certainly one to watch. The inclusion of a banjo and harmonica were also a nice touch. I could tell he immediately won the crowd over, and probably gained a few new fans that night.
I almost always base part of my experience at a show deciding if I like the pre-show playlist. Whether the artist curates it themselves or if it’s the house music, there’s just something so great about a playlist that can pump people up before a show. This one absolutely delivered. The show might’ve had one of the best runs in a pre-show playlist I’ve heard, featuring “What Makes You Beautiful” to “Love Story” and ending with “Stick Season”. All great choices and whether this was the artist’s choice or not was a question I wasn’t sure I’d get an answer.
After the crowd was as sufficiently hyped as I was after that playlist, Blake Rose took the stage. Australia-native, Rose, started off his set strong with “Rollerblades”, “Don’t Stop the Car”, and “Dizzy”. During these songs, there was a moment when the microphone stand wouldn’t stay still while Rose played the piano and had the microphone dangling upside down. It only made things more exciting as Rose worked his way around the mishap. He even took his own photo of the crowd in the middle of one of his songs
Throughout the night, Rose shared stories of his breakup and how they inspired his most recent EP. He encouraged everyone to have fun, sing, and if they saw someone cute, to get their number. These moments separate him from an artist who is just there to sing their songs and leave. It brought out his personality that kept showing throughout the night. He shared bits and pieces of his life and how they inspired the songs he was playing. “Casanova”, “Heavy Shit”, and “Sweet Caledonia” were fan favorites, with the crowds’ voices almost matching the volume of Rose’s.
As with any good show, the phone flashlights came out. This time during “Movie”. Shortly after, Blake Rose walked out into the middle of the crowd and sang “Gone”. Just him and his guitar away from any microphone to pick up his vocals. He shushed the crowd, and they remained silent the entire time while he sang. I felt his desire to connect with the crowd and really felt how genuine he was throughout the night.
Rose closed out the show with what he deemed to be his last 1.5 songs where he sang part of “Night Changes” by One Direction which may have answered my question at the start of the night and makes me almost certain Rose had some say in his pre-show playlist. He ended with his own song, “Lost”, a song that my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify gifted me not too long ago. To have him close out the show with it felt incredibly right for me.
Blake Rose is a must-see on tour, especially if you’re looking to get into new music. His Suddenly Okay tour continues through May 8 ending in San Diego, California. Check out his tour dates and head out to a show near you.
