Twin Cities hip-hop collective Doomtree literally flew their flag over St. Paul’s CHS Field on Saturday for an all-day event dubbed Doomtree Zoo.
The first major concert event in the new ballpark, following an afternoon performance by Dr. John during the Twin Cities Jazz Festival in June, Doomtree Zoo proved that CHS Field can not only handle a concert crowd, it’s a terrific place to see a show. And as masters of branding, Doomtree splashed their logo everywhere, from the flags that greeted fans as they entered to the merchandise, including a hoodie that was a crowd favorite.
The first weekend of October is a tricky time for an outdoor gig in Minnesota, and temps in the upper 50s during the day and a wicked afternoon wind kept concertgoers chilly. But the cold didn’t dampen the crowd’s mood; if anything, it served as a great equalizer that helped strangers bond with each other. (Weather of all sorts tends to do that at outdoor shows.) It also helped that everything else seemed to run smoothly, from getting into the venue to grabbing a beer to the many comfortable, accessible vantage points throughout the park.
During the afternoon, the live music tended to merely back up what felt like a casual outdoor party. Chicago rapper Open Mike Eagle chatted amiably with the crowd from the main stage, situated to the right of second base. The Anonymous Choir performed a series of gorgeous, hushed covers tucked away on a smaller second stage. Their heavenly take on Radiohead’s “No Surprises” even brought a little warmth to shivering fans.
Doomtree made a point of inviting families to attend, and dozens took the group up on the offer. Two inflatables, Doomtree-branded face painting and puppeteers from Minneapolis’ In the Heart of the Beast theater kept the kids entertained, as did the goofy duo Koo Koo Kanga Roo, who roamed the ballpark and turned songs like “Everybody Poops” into impromptu dance parties.
It was 22-month-old James Arney’s first concert. He attended with his father, Mike: “I didn’t see any reason not to bring him. We’ve been here one hour, and all he’s done is jump in the bouncy house.”
The vibe changed completely after 6 p.m., when California punk band Trash Talk took the stage. “This is a (expletive) family event,” announced lead singer Lee Spielman. “Make some (expletive) noise!” By that point, the crew had packed away the inflatables and it was now a full-out concert, rather than a party.
As ridiculous and noisy as his band may be, Spielman is an entertaining, foul-mouthed frontman who called out specific people in the crowd (“mustache,” “big guy,” “the guy with the purple dreds”) and asked such burning questions as “Who’s from Minneapolis? Who’s from St. Paul? What’s the difference?”
From that point, the Doomtree Zoo got serious, with a rousing set from indie-rap legend Aesop Rock followed by the headliners who played on a stage with stadium-ready tech and lights. Doomtree has spent the past decade hosting year-end Blowout shows at Minneapolis’ First Avenue, and Saturday felt like a natural next step for the group, now that they’ve retired the Blowout concept.
Brittany Hedberg caught nine of the 10 Blowouts and said Doomtree now needs a larger space like CHS Field for their shows. “I actually prefer this setting,” she said. “It’s bigger, outdoors and there’s more going on. It adds a different dimension and makes the mood lighter than First Avenue does.”
Doomtree has yet to announce whether this will become an annual event. But the several thousand fans on hand showered Doomtree with so much love, they’re going to be talking about Saturday for some time to come.
Grace Birnstengel contributed to this report.
Pop music critic Ross Raihala can be reached at 651-228-5553. Follow him at Twitter.com/ RossRaihala.
