After opening with the band’s 2024 single “Coming Home,” Old Dominion lead singer Matthew Ramsey marveled at what a beautiful night it was Thursday at the Minnesota State Fair.
He wasn’t kidding. By the time the Nashville five piece took the Grandstand stage, the temperature had dipped below 80 degrees and the darkening skies took on a purple shade. It was, indeed, a perfect night and Old Dominion turned out to be the perfect band to open the Grandstand.
The sold-out crowd of 14,118 agreed as well and gave a warm, boozy reception to the band, who come across more like a ’70s soft pop/rock band than your typical country group. By and large, they skip songs about trucks and bars and instead sing about romance, relationships and love. And they write big, juicy hooks that are easy to grasp, even if they’re a bit on the generic side.
They focused on the hits throughout the 110-minute show, including the Top 5 hits “Break Up with Him,” “Song for Another Time,” “Snapback,” “No Such Thing as a Broken Heart,” “Written in the Sand” and “One Man Band.” Several band members have written hits for other acts, so it wasn’t a surprise to hear them cover their frequent tourmate Kenny Chesney’s “Save it for a Rainy Day,” which Ramsey cowrote.
Ramsey also noted it was the band’s third time playing the State Fair, following a 2015 debut on the free stage formerly known as the Leinie Lodge Bandshell followed by their Grandstand debut three years later. He also told the crowd it was the biggest so far on their current tour.
It was a particularly special night for the band, Ramsey told the audience, as their sixth album “Barbara” debuted on streaming services at 11 p.m. To celebrate, they played the new track “Late Great Heartbreak” live for the first time ever. I’m sure plenty of people replayed the Eagles-esque track during their ride home. (The cover art features a mature lady in cat eye glasses, a look some folks in the crowd replicated for the show.)
In what seems like an odd pairing, local indie pop band Yam Haus opened. It turns out a member of Old Dominion heard Yam Haus’ “Green Lights” and liked it enough to offer them the gig, Lars Pruitt said from the stage. And, really, “Green Lights” would’ve sounded right at home in Old Dominion’s set, with its easygoing, melodic groove.
Pruitt said playing the Grandstand was a “dream come true” and, near the end of their 45-minute set he asked the crowd to cheer if they think the headliners should take them on the road sometime. Judging by the roar that emerged from the stands, Yam Haus not only won over a few new fans, maybe just maybe they landed future road work with Old Dominion.
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