Purity Ring and yuniVERSE at First Avenue Minneapolis (October 23rd 2025)
- part ii
- many lives
- Obedear
- pink lightning
- soshy
- glacier ::in memory of rs::
- red the sunrise
- Amenamy
- Push Pull
- Repetition
- between you and shadows
- Lofticries
- Belispeak
- the long night
- sinew
- imanocean
- stardew
- Fineshrine
- place of my own
- Begin Again
- In2 Oceans
- Get2U
- Fall4U
- Control
- All Grown
- Back2Me
- L8 Nite Txts
- Eyes on Me
- Butter Chicken Lover
- Everything Everytime
- Three Crash
- 23/10/2025: Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
- 24/10/2025: Chicago, IL – Metro
- 25/10/2025: Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
- 26/10/2025: Cleveland, OH – Globe Iron
- 29/10/2025: Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
- 30/10/2025: Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
- 31/10/2025: Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
- 01/11/2025: Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theatre
- 03/11/2025: Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
- 04/11/2025: Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
- 05/11/2025: Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
- 07/11/2025: Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
- 08/11/2025: Austin, TX – ACL Live At The Moody Theater
- 10/11/2025: Phoenix, AZ – Van Buren
- 11/11/2025: San Diego, CA – The Observatory
- 12/11/2025: Los Angeles, CA – The Novo
Happy birthday, Vanessa. First Ave played host to an approaching-sold-out show for headliners Purity Ring and opener yuniVERSE. Doors were at 7:00 and the stage was set (see pics below). The large orchid-like flower sculptures stage right were the setting for yuniVerse’s performance. I had done a wee bit of research before the show and was wondering how her well-produced YouTube videos would translate live. Read on.
yuniVERSE took to the stage within a few minutes of 8:00, and there was a decent crowd ready to cheer her on. My first impression was underwhelment (it should absolutely be a word). However, By the end of her set my underwhelment had turned into overwhelment (what?! How is that not a word?). At the request of Purity Ring, most people were wearing masks including yuniVERSE, THAT was definitely a challenge. Her music is all on her laptop, so no backing band, which also added to the challenge. Those conditions made it seem like she was lip syncing. What flipped the script for me, though, was when yuniVERSE spoke. In her sweet Australian accent, she let us know that this was her first tour and she was really nervous and fucking sweaty. She also let us know that she fucking swears a lot, so sorry. I appreciate the honesty. Once she spoke, it was apparent she was a real person. The remainder of her show displayed her vocal chops as well as her dance moves. Despite being “stuck” in a small portion of the stage, she was able to display big moves and a great presence. I was able to speak to her after her set, and she was so genuinely appreciative and thrilled to be on her first tour, and you all know how I feel about authenticity. Unfortunately, despite traveling throughout the US, she was not seeing much of the cities. Lots of sleeping on the tour bus. At the end of the evening, yuniVERSE put on a great show and won over the First Ave crown.
Based on my conversation with the crowd before the concert, there was a lot of anticipation for Purity Ring’s stage show. yuniVERSE warned us that that our minds were going to melt from their set. I survived with my mind intact but only because I spent most of the show watching them reflected in my shiny shield. I have been to scores of shows at First Ave and I would not describe First Ave as a particularly effects-heavy venue. This show, in support of their latest self-titled album Purity Ring (Fellowship record label 26 September 2025), broke that mold. The music and the display were top notch. My pictures are not going to do it justice, but it was really impressive. Fireworks followed by tranquil images and back to different flavors of pyrotechnics were on the menu for the show. The music perfectly fit the visual performance. There was not a lot of stage banter but, they expressed their love and gratitude for Minneapolis as well as their appreciation for playing with yuniVERSE. The highlights of the show for me were “pink lightning”, “glacier ::inmemory of rs::, iamanocean, and Begin Again. I have to admit that I appreciate that they didn’t bother with an encore. They just played the songs and then were done – no need to leave the stage for a few minutes and then come back.
At the end of the night, yuniVERSE and Purity Ring put on an amazing performance that impressed the crowd. I’m guessing that yuniVERSE gained some new fans and Purity Ring cemented their credibility in their fans’ minds. For me, again, this show was a win and provided me with joy. Thanks yuniVERSE and Purity Ring.
