Hey, Nothing at the Varsity Theater (October 13, 2026)

Sometimes life happens and things don’t go according to plan.  What I learned on a rainy Tuesday night at the Varsity Theater is that it’s possible to roll with unplanned circumstances and still put on a great show.  

It started early when the opening act ended up as a solo one.  On the playcard the Americana-punk trio, Crisis Crew, was set to take the stage.  Instead, Erik Paulson of the Twin Cities based Remo Drive stepped to the mic, wearing a Rod Stewart concert tee with electric guitar in hand.  He said Crisis Crew was unable to make it and he was asked to fill in. Based on his patter with the audience, I gathered it was a spur of the moment,  he had not played a solo act in over ten years and he was nonetheless game.  

The audience was a great help, rooting for him the whole time as he missed lyrics and at one point during a song hilariously said, “Imagine a guitar solo here.”   And even though it was a spur of the moment and he was without his band, he was surprisingly affecting with “White Dress” and “Hold You,” songs that tended to fit his solo circumstance. 

Unfortunately, unfortunate circumstances also fell upon the opener as Hey, Nothing. I wondered why there was a toilet paper dispenser supported by a jungle cat figurine on the stage.  Halfway through the set the audience would learn that not only was the band completely sick, they also lost their drummer due to a broken back.  So their bass player switched to drums and they called in a favor from a friend back in Atlanta to help them on bass. Still, you wouldn’t have believed any of it for their first song “Hound” immediately filled the at capacity room with a wondrous, anthemic sound.

Hey, Nothing is comprised of Tyler Mabry and Harlow Phillips, childhood friends who bonded through their traumatic upbringings and love of music.  They don’t look much older than high school students, but somehow they have already built a musical identity with a rich, expressive sound and complex lyrics found in songs like “Hound” and “Like a Brother” and “Long Time Leaver.”  

Both Mabry and Phillips took turns singing throughout the evening, but it seemed that Phillips took the lead as Mabry made use of the toilet paper, confessing that he was taking vitamin c pills the size of a small plate.  He also said the last time they played in the Twin Cities was at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in 2025.  He remembered the night vividly because he had a panic attack and he was wearing a Cookie Monster tee.  The event was so traumatic, he threw the shirt away in some symbolic attempt to purge the memory.

Even the circumstances were less than ideal, Mabry and Phillips were still having fun and grateful to be playing in the Twin Cities, bringing the crowd to thunderous applause with “Waiting Room”, the extended roars and clapping giving them an opportunity to high-five each other as if they just scored the winning goal if such a thing is possible when playing music.