On October 6th, I attended MICO’s first headlining show in Minneapolis at the Fine Line venue.
He is an indie-pop artist from Toronto with 1.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify and 952K followers on TikTok @micotoronto. His most popular songs are “Senses” and “HOMESICK,” both from his latest album, “Internet hometown hero.” MICO is known for playing Telemachus in “Epic: The Musical.”
The opening act for the night was vaultboy, a pop artist from Jacksonville, FL. His biggest songs are “Everything Sucks” and “Rocket Science.”
I went into the concert as a fan, since 2023, when MICO’s song “bad note” came out. I, however, did not know anything about the opener, so I was pleasantly surprised to recognize a few of the songs he played during his set.
The audience was more prepared than I was. Several of them were singing along. Many fans in attendance stated they got tickets not knowing the headliner, only knowing the opener. It was a fun time listening to his style of music, and I have added many more songs to my liked list on Spotify.
Every few songs, he would interact with the crowd. At one point, it felt like a comedy show with a lot of dark humor mixed in, joking that, “everyone here is depressed, it’s a MICO show after all.”
Once MICO made it to the stage with his band, who are all former classmates of his from high school, he opened with “The one to fall” from his most recent album.
Throughout the show, he would throw guitar picks to the crowd as a memento from the tour. Hearing him sing many of the songs that I have loved over the years made me appreciate his voice a lot more. As he was very stable, even with the notes on the higher end of his range. The ad-libs throughout added to the appeal of hearing him sing live and made me wish for him to rerecord some of his better songs as live versions.
Both artists made it a night to remember. Something else I would like to mention is the accessibility of the venue, as I have a disability that requires me to use mobility aids. On the website for the venue, I was instructed to ask for ADA seating once getting through security and having my ticket scanned (always check the site beforehand, as some ADAs may require more notice, like translators).
When asking an employee for help, they were quick to offer me two things. The first option was to stay on the main floor, where they could provide a stool for me to sit on, or I could go upstairs to view from the balcony and sit in a regular chair. I decided on the second option and was escorted upstairs. I chose not to take the creepy elevator up, but the offer was there in case I needed it.
Once arriving upstairs, they were nice enough to put me right next to the rail for a better view and allowed me to use the table service that VIP had for the rest of the time before the show. At the end of the show, the staff helped me, and any other ADA guests got back down to the first floor safely.
Overall, the music was excellent, and I recommend seeing it if you get the chance. If you’re ever in Minneapolis, feel free to check out Fine Line, as the venue is great regardless of your disability status.
Here are the photos of MICO from the concert. I forgot to take more pictures; I only remembered near the end that I should probably take a few.
