Bastille brought their ‘Give Me The Future Tour’ to St. Paul last weekend, treating fans new and old to a stellar selection of songs from their expansive discography.

The year is 2013. I drive through my hometown, playing Bastille’s debut album Bad Blood on repeat. A collection of songs that offer immense comfort in confusing, turbulent, “end-of-high-school” times, Bad Blood becomes an instant comfort album. Nine years later, I stand in the photo pit awaiting the appearance of the artists responsible for creating that album.

Midstage rests a chaise longue. A massive LED screen spanning the length of the stage comes to life as Bastille takes the stage, waving to the crowd. Lead singer Dan Smith remains hidden upstage, waiting for the opening song Stay Awake? to demand his presence. The energy slowly builds during the first few songs, peaking during Laura Palmer before another video interlude interrupts. Smith makes his way to the chaise, pausing for a few moments before taking up the first few notes of Oblivion. Staring into a light mimicking a TV screen, the breathtaking image of Smith singing such haunting and tender falsetto will stay with me forever.

After a few more songs, Smith took a moment to address the crowd. “We massively appreciate your support,” Smith says. “It totally blows our minds that we’re still allowed to come back to this country and play music for you. Thank you so much for having us.”

Continuing, Smith joked with the audience. “We wanted to play you a couple of songs from Give Me The Future. Has anyone here not heard the album yet?” After he was met with a few cheers, he laughed, “Get out! Now! The rule is: if you’ve not heard it, which obviously is completely fair enough, you’ve got to pretend to sing along.” And sing along they did.

The venue was electric, and the band fed off of the impressive showing of audience participation. Stellar performances from backing vocalist Senab Adekunle and guitarist/keyboardist Charlie Barnes often stole the show. They brought Bastille’s live sound to a higher level and provided necessary support for Dan Smith’s frontman energy. The main part of the setlist culminated in fantastic renditions of Of The Night, Future Holds, and their breakout single Pompeii.

Photos: Morgan Winston