If you haven’t seen Minneapolis sweetheart Caroline Smith in a while, it’s because she’s been spending the last year in Los Angeles, working on new music. This October, she’s taking a break from writing to go out on what she’s calling the Big Baby Tour. This past Friday, she made a stop at Denver’s Lost Lake Lounge. It had been two years since Smith’s last Denver show, but fans didn’t seem to mind as the venue was packed with ladies and men alike singing their hearts out. Fans even joined Smith word for word during her brand new single, “Trying Not to Love You,” which was just released a week prior to the show.
I’m used to seeing a lot of Denver pride, but on Friday, there seemed to be an abundance of love for the city Smith calls home. When Minneapolis-based backing vocalist Mina Moore was introduced, cheers grew louder and louder with each mention of the city, so much as to interrupt Moore’s heartfelt and powerful speech supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. A few songs later, before “Let ‘Em Say,” there was an overwhelming excitement from the the audience when Smith gave a shoutout to fellow Minneapolis hometown girl, Lizzo. Maybe there were a lot of people from the Twin Cities at the show. Maybe the majority of the audience are advocates for Black Lives Matter. Maybe the crowd loves Smith and everything she creates and everyone she works with so much, that they’ll go crazy for her, no matter what. Perhaps all of the above.
Other set highlights included: Smith calling out to the guys in the crowd, thanking them for being there and for not grabbing women by the pussy; keyboardist Eric Mayson getting a chance for some solo vocals, giving women in bad relationships some advice and singing, “This fukboi ain’t gonna change, pack your shit and go;” Smith coming back on for an encore with a solo on piano; and last but not least, Smith’s outfit–if only I could get away with a jean jacket, royal blue gym shorts, and furry heels.
Unfortunately, I missed Denver local Kitty Crimes who started the night off. I did make it to see Callie, who has been main support on the Big Baby Tour since day one. Callie is a Los Angeles-based experimental producer whose music includes a plethora of samples and displaced rhythms. Not everything was easy to groove to, but once those hip-hop beats and deep baselines came in, man did I get down.
Check out previous Caroline Smith coverage from Chris Duke
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