It's been a few months since Yukon Blonde released their newest album, On Blonde, and while they have been (seemingly nonstop) touring -- including a string of dates with Hey Rosetta! -- this is their first headlining tour in a while. And what better way to start it off than with a "hometown" show at the Commodore Ballroom.

First up was Minneapolis band On An On. I got there maybe a song or two into their set, with their dreamy, shoegaze filling the ballroom. Initially I thought the set was fine, if a little slow and meandering, but the last few songs kicked things up and drew my ear. "All the Horses" had a bit more of an intense, post-rock sound, "Drifting" started slow and melancholic before bursting into a driving climax , and "Ghosts" was a nice cap-off of the set.

Not long after that, Yukon Blonde hit the stage as singer Jeff Innes simply proclaimed "It's party time" before the band launched into "My Girl", kicking the set off with a bang. They were showcasing their latest album, On Blonde, but also delved back for some older tunes. And the newer, electronic-tinged material sat side by side nicely with their older ones, like when "Como" segued perfectly into "Wind Blows", and "Fire" got a punched up intro of a storm of synth.
Other highlights included the powerful glam-rocker "Saturday Night" and the raucous and ridiculously catchy "Radio", which remains one of my favourites of theirs since the first time I heard it live.
There was a palpable energy from the group, as they seemed to be playing with a sense of urgency; perhaps because it was the first show of the tour, or maybe they were just "fucking stoked" to be there, as they put it. You could see the enthusiasm on stage as all five members, especially Jeff and Brandon Scott playing off each other as they both joked with the crowd between sets, and each other.
The main set came to a close with the crowd 'ooh-woo-ooh-woohoo'ing along with "Stairway", and after chants for "one more song" the band was, of course, back out for more. Jeff joked that since this was the first time he had ever gotten a request on his phone in the middle of the show, he had to oblige as they played an older one they hadn't done in a while, "Babies Don't Like Blue Anymore" off their self titled debut. After that they just had one left, ending off the night with a tribute to Bowie and urging everyone in the crowd to put on their red shows and dance the blues, with "Let's Dance".

setlist
My Girl,
Make You Mine,
Como,
Wind Blows,
Iron Fist,
Fire,
Jezebel,
Saturday Night,
Radio,
You Broke The Law,
Brides Song,
Rather Be With You,
I Wanna Be Your Man,
Favourite People,
Stairway.
(encore)
Babies Don't Like Blue Anymore
Let's Dance [David Bowie cover]