Photos and Words by Stephanie Nardi
On a Saturday night, fans packed the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis to see Samia Finnerty. While she’s been on tour with Sylvan Esso for the past few weeks, this was her second show of her headlining tour this fall with Savannah Conley opening.
After opening the show with “Pool”, “Fit N Full” immediately had the crowd jumping and singing the words back to her as she playfully danced across the stage and swished her frilly pink nightgown around. This song illustrated how even though her music might lean to being more laid back, her performance was anything but. Her energy was vibrant and contagious and stayed this way throughout the entirety of her set.
There wasn’t a single person in that venue that wasn’t completely enthralled by her. Between songs you could look around and see hands clasped under chins with faces turned up to her waiting for what would be next. Multiple times she doubled over with the biggest grin on her face, clearly floored by the response of the crowd and the love they openly gave her before, during, and after each song she sang. This wasn’t just a case of an artist making really catchy music that the crowd loved, her music spoke to them.
A sweet moment during her set was when she sang “As You Are” and invited two special people onto the stage; people the song was actually about. Briston Maroney and Savannah Conley took to the stage and the three of them sang this heartwarming song about being loved by someone for exactly who you are with no stipulations. The song ended with the three sharing a group hug and finally Briston taking Samia’s face in both hands and tenderly placing a kiss on her forehead.
When it came time for her to sing “Minnesota” it unsurprisingly got the crowd cheering and throwing their hands in the air because who doesn’t love getting a shoutout to their state in a song?
Her ability to take her predominately mellow songs and translate them into a live performance that packs a punch illustrates her artistry and versatility. She is a force to be reckoned with and we’re happy to have been able to witness it live and in person. If you haven’t snagged a ticket to see her this October, we highly recommend you do.
Impressions Magazine 