Erin Rae at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (23 Oct 2023)

Nashville-based singer/songwriter Erin Rae headlined the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, in support of her Lighten Up And Try and Lighten Up & Try: Live & From The Heart albums.

It’s the last night of their long USA tour, and you can tell She Returns From War (aka Hunter Park) will be happy to get a nice long rest.

She’s from Charleston, South Carolina, and she has a very thick southern accent, singing songs like “Ball & Chain” and making jokes about that elusive “g-string”.

Highlight of her set was having Erin Rae on stage to guest backup vocals on “Swamp Witch”, and later Erin’s keyboard player would help play her final song.

In a big bright red dress, Erin Rae came on stage, with her full band, smiling. She is quite happy to be headlining the 7th Street Entry. She mentioned that she’s gone on tour, opening up for so many musicians and artists in the past, but this was her first time as the main attraction.

 

She’s not wrong, the last time we saw her, she was the opener for Angel Olsen… so hopefully those Olsen fans have spilled over to Erin Rae’s side. We previously said, “Her delicate song “Enemy” is actually about friendship and jealously, she played a new song for only the second time live, and Rae worked in a cover from “by my friend and your neighbor, Kevin Morby”, also mentioning she’d be touring with him and back in the area soon (KC show instantly sold out, but Apr 6 Bottleneck tix still remain).”

Most of the songs on her set was taken from Lighten Up and Try, which she’s been on tour for that album for so long that Thirty Tigers has put out a Live recording of the record called Lighten Up & Try: Live and From the Heart.

For “Bad Mind”, She Returns From War would return the favor by coming on stage to do backup vocals.

Rae ended her set with “Modern Woman”, quickly followed by a double song encore of “Can’t Cut Loose” and “Crazy Talk.”

Hopefully, Erin Rae will be back in the area with new music, same time next year.

Lighten Up and Try and Lighten Up & Try: Live and From the Heart are out now.