Afghan Whigs w/ Har Mar Superstar at First Avenue, Minneapolis (21 Sept 2017)

Plenty was on the menu as two seemingly different acts filled First Avenue in Minneapolis-

The Afghan Whigs and Har Mar Superstar are out on a two-month fall tour together that turns out to have many more musical similarities between the pair, than differences.  Har Mar aka Sean Tillman was even inspired to curate a gig-celebrating menu at the next door Depot that included Afghan Whings and Eggs Dulli, among the night’s other delicacies.

The evening’s music in the Mainroom started with a forty-minute opening set from hometown hero Har Mar Superstar, bringing the sunshine with his irresistible mix of r&b, soul, and funk, playing on a stage Tillman should know like the back of his hand. Opening with the new ‘Personal Boy’ from the just-released EP of the same name (on Love OnLine Records), the band shimmered in matching satin jackets while its leader wore an unassuming drab green jacket and pants. 

Any idea that maybe Tillman wouldn’t disrobe given the short set, was dispelled in less than ten minutes as he had his jacket off and shirt soon after, during a retro ‘Restless Leg’. “It’s good to be back home, right in the middle of the tour” Tillman said, as numerous friends and his parents, looked on.

Dedicating the heart wrenching ’ How Did I Get Through the Day’ to the recently fallen Grant Hart was one of the most emotional moments of the evening, with Tillman then shifting to say “We’re gonna bring up the mood” as he and the band ramped things up with a breezy Huey Lewis cover, saying “thank you for indulging us” after.

The electro-pop ‘Youth Without Love’, falsetto-filled ‘Tall Boy’ and crooning ‘Lady, You Shot Me would end the set, with Tillman saying “We’re psyched to be here, it’s always the best” about the venue he’s played numerous times and mentioned he’d be back  on Thanksgiving eve at the Turf Club, to stir things up all over again.

Warnings were given before The Afghan Whigs ever hit the stage. 

Keeping with the Whigs’ dark theme and the low, dim lights over a spare stage that would frame their set the whole night, a strict message against any kind of flash photography was given, though fans could otherwise feel free to take all the pictures and video they wanted.  The band is out in support of In Spades (Sub Pop Records) their second original release, since reforming full-time, just over five years ago and the band opened roaring with the album’s track two, ‘Arabian Heights’.

No warnings were given as to the sheer volume level the band played at for their ninety-minute set, though most fans knew better and came prepared. An empty space was to singer Greg Dulli’s left, the one usually filled by guitarist Dave Rosser, who lost his cancer battle in June.

“One hand striking another makes a lovely sound” Dulli mentioned as everyone clapped along for the elegantly dark ‘Light as a Feather’ and ‘Teenage Wristband’ was a setlist surprise, being from one of Dulli’s many side projects, The Twilight Singers.  After which, he called out one of a couple people that apparently didn’t get the no-flash message, “if you can’t take a picture without a flash, you can’t take a picture”, he chided.

As Dulli spoke solemnly about his fallen guitarist, numerous homemade signs reading ‘Viva Le Rosser’ shot up from the crowd, with the band seguing into one of Rosser’s favorite newer songs, 2014’s ‘Can Rova’ which artfully segued an outro from Jeff Buckley’s ‘Last Goodbye’ to finish the song. 

Always one to work in bits of what he’s listening to, a Sylvan Esso cover was also somewhat unexpected, but neatly fit into the rest of the oeuvre.  “What you got, Minneapolis!?” Dulli screamed as metal-esque guitars powered the black, suffocating gut-punch of ‘John the Baptist’. Sensing autumn has arrived, the main set closing ‘Into the Floor’ morphed into Don Henley’s ‘Boys of Summer’ slowing, then accelerating with one last flourish. 

Dulli came out alone for the encore, still lamenting lost friends but celebrating Minneapolis saying “the music that has come out of here… has changed my life”. Tillman would then join Dulli for an aching Hüsker Dü cover with the crowd joining in on the chorus as means of their own needed emotional release.

The band rejoined on stage to test the amp volume for two final songs from 1996’s Black Love– ‘Summer’s Kiss’ and ‘Faded’, managing to slow the tempo enough to work in a touching Prince cover before the volume cranked one last time with Dulli saying “Take me away!” as one last farewell.

With two seemingly different bands on the menu, that would somehow (and often) come so close together, The Afghan Whigs and Har Mar Superstar served up a musical plate that left no one attending, unsatisfied.