The Uncluded at the Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (06/30/13)

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Playing to a nearly full house, a visibly and audibly nervous Kimya Dawson made note of how it was so awesome to have so many fans in Minneapolis. Perhaps part of her nervous energy came from the fact that she is not only very familiar with the city and has several friends here, but the record label The Uncluded belongs to, Rhymesayers Entertainment, is headquarter in Minneapolis. A little pressure never hurt anybody.

They played every song off the 17-track album, starting out the set with 'Earthquake'. Coupling the playfulness of Dawson's lyrics and voice with Aesop's rapid-fire lyrical delivery worked somehow, even if it was a strange way. You could tell the two of them adored each other and were thrilled to be sharing a stage together. The songs were held together by programmed beats and the talents of multi-instrumentalist James Lynch. He played everything from ukulele to bass to keyboard and painted a perfectly fitting musical canopy to showcase Dawson and Aesop Rock's lyrics/vocals.

The night appreciated many moments: some light, playful and funny ones, and some intense, heartfelt ones. A highlight showcasing the latter was the song 'Walk Like Thunder", an autobiographical song about Dawson nearly overdosing 10 years previous and coming out of it stronger. "Thank you, Minneapolis, you beautiful fucking city" echoed throughout the Cedar, as Dawson continually praised a place she felt honored to be playing at, citing the Cedar as her "favorite venue to play".

They ended the night with the last track off Hokey Fright with 'Tits Up', a song with an 80s feel that had the crowd not only moving around wildly, but gesturing their hands with emphasis on the chorus line of "tits up!". The band was met with passionate accolades from the crowd. They then swiftly offered to talk to and take pictures with any or all of their fans after their set. That's the definition of a crowd-pleasing evening.