Lake Street Dive, Lawrence, and a theater with more magic than Miller High Life ever bottled

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Earlier this year we found out Lake Street Dive was playing sort of nearby. And by “nearby,” I mean a four-hour drive. That’s what counts as local in the Midwest. We’d seen them two years ago and they were phenomenal, so it didn’t take a lot of convincing.

Then we looked up who was opening. A band called Lawrence. Never heard of them. That’s always a little dicey. Sometimes you get a new favorite, sometimes you get thirty minutes of politely clapping while you wonder if the beer line is shorter now.

We checked them out on YouTube and, holy shit, blown away. That sealed the deal. Tickets purchased, road trip planned.

Turns out Lawrence is fronted by siblings Clyde and Gracie Lawrence. Now, Gracie? She just wrapped a run on Broadway. Not some tiny off-off-off-Broadway thing either. She was playing Connie Francis in Just in Time and got nominated for a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. A Tony. For real. Her voice? A jazzy soprano that just soars. Off the chart. Like, if Aretha and Ella had a Gen Z niece.

Clyde’s story is even crazier. He joined the Songwriters Guild of America when he was five. Five! I was still eating paste when I was five. He wrote a song for Miss Congeniality that made it into the movie, because his dad Marc was the writer and music director. Since then, Clyde’s written music for four other movies and a TV show, while also leading this band, while also somehow not making the rest of us feel completely unaccomplished. He’s got this deep, soulful voice I could listen to all day, and he hops between organ, piano, and guitar like it’s nothing.

The two of them have basically been jamming since childhood, but they made it official in 2013 when Gracie finished high school. Oh, and because apparently their family motto is “go big or go home,” they built it into an eight-piece funk-pop-soul machine. Seven of the eight members went to Brown University, so on top of ridiculous talent, they’re brainiacs too.

Their music? Pure high-energy fun. Funk, soul, pop, a little jazz swagger, horns blasting, rhythm section tighter than my jeans after Thanksgiving. Every single member is absurdly good at what they do. Live, they hit the stage like a freight train full of joy. By the end of their set I was already thinking: these guys might be one of my all-time favorite live bands. And I don’t say that lightly. I want to see them as often as humanly possible. Doesn’t even matter what song. They could play the phone book and it would groove. The musicianship is that good.

Here’s a taste if you’re curious:

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/YwozDusaQxs?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

If you haven’t heard them before, you are in for a treat. They’ve put out four studio albums (the latest dropped in 2024), and right now they’re headlining a tour to promote it.

The wild thing is, this wasn’t even their first tour with Lake Street Dive. Their very first tour ever was with them, so this show was like a reunion gig. They’ve written songs together, and a few of those collabs made it into the set. Watching both bands on stage together felt like crashing a family party where everyone just happens to be insanely talented.

And speaking of Lake Street Dive, let’s not shortchange them. Rachael Price? Her voice is straight velvet. Buttery smooth, effortless, the kind of vocals that make you stop mid-sip and just listen. The whole band is tight, with that perfect blend of pop, soul, funk, and jazz they’ve honed over the years. They’ve got this chemistry that makes everything look easy. Here is my favorite song by them:

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/BGQWnWgr8Nk?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0

Between the two bands, the night was pure magic. The kind of concert you don’t just remember, you replay in your head for weeks.

The venue helped, too. Miller High Life Theater. Great name, great vibe. It somehow manages to feel cozy and intimate while still being spacious enough for a big crowd. The acoustics were killer. We’d definitely go back there for another show.

So yeah, we drove four hours, but it was worth every mile. We went for Lake Street Dive, discovered Lawrence in the process, and left grinning like kids who just got away with something. Nights like that are why I’ll never stop going to live shows.