Betty Who at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (June 19, 2025)

Tour Dates

• 6/20 – Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Summerfest
• 6/21 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi Annex
• 6/23 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
• 6/24 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
• 6/25 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre
• 6/27 – Augusta, GA – Augusta Pride Festival
• 6/29 – Austin, TX – Mohawk
• 7/1 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
• 7/2 – San Diego, CA – Music Box

The Twin Cities Pride Festival kicks off next weekend, but got an early start at the Varsity Theater with Betty Who and Molly Grace and the dance music they brought.

First of all, the Varsity Theater. It’s always been a favorite venue, and they have tinkered with the layout by removing the bulky booths that lined the main floor, stage left, and replaced it with a swanky bar. In fact, the whole venue looks pretty swanky from its bathrooms to its VIP seating that rings the upper deck, giving the whole room a feel of intimacy that is lost in bigger venues.

The Varsity is just a nice place to see a show, and what I noticed when I first walked in is how full it was with a crowd that was energetic, dressed up (or not) and loud. It was like attending a church social with booze where everyone knew each other and they needed to catch up before the dancing began.

Molly Grace opened with her Lover Girls, all wearing outfits like they were about to attend a Vanderbilt sorority sleepover in 1950, looking luminous and moving with a style benefiting Molly’s last name.

Grace is from Nashville and started her musical career after attending Belmont University, studying commercial voice. Influenced by Lizzo, Chappell Roan and Renee Rapp, Grace’s music is a fusion of pop, funk and disco. She is supporting her second EP Lovesick, and sang mostly original songs along with a cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Want to Dance with Somebody.”

“Falling in Love” was a definite crowd pleaser and “Heaven Sent” had an ABBA vibe throughout. A highlight was a new song “Soprano” where Grace got a chance to show off her dynamic vocal range. Then “Lady Lady” a song about being in college and coming to the realization that she might be gay.

Betty Who has made a habit of planning her tours around how many pride festivals she can perform at. Last year she performed at the White House and it’s shocking how much can change in just a year.

Who’s tour is called “Out of the Darkness” for it has been a rough 2025 for the LGBTQ community. So much so that Who wanted to counter the narrative with a buoyant spirit: “This tour is all about unapologetic joy, real connections, and celebrating the highs after the lows.”

We last saw Who at First Ave in Mar, 2023, writing:

“Her set was really fun and colorful: Who in a red suit, with a dancer in yellow and a dancer in blue. These types of dance shows are really fun visually. Each song had well-choreographed dance routines, and every had smiles across their face… they were just having a good time.”

Who took the stage with Chris and Sebastian, everyone (including Who) over six feet tall, all wearing jean shorts, all completely physically fit to dance the whole night. And after the second song, an unabashed roar filled the venue that caught Who off guard. A gleeful smile eventually revealed how happy she was to be there.

By the third song a break was needed in which Who sang the anthem-like “Big” which had a big part of the crowd singing along. Then back to more dancing with “SHE CAN DANCE” and “Wanna Be”.

Who set aside the evening for one acoustic song “Friend Like Me.” Then it was more dancing with Number 1 dance hits like “All of You” and “Somebody Loves You” with a new song “Sweat” sprinkled in between.

After the show ended with the Donna Lewis cover “I Love You always Forever” the crowd poured out of the Varsity with as much energy as they came with, a few of them dashing across the street made famous by a U of M attendee.

If Who’s goal was to bring a little bit of joy during a troubling time, job well done.

Betty Who

Betty Who

Betty Who

Betty Who