09.17.24 – By Danielle Linneweber

Keane made a triumphant return to the Twin Cities for the first time since 2013 with a show at Palace Theatre on September 17. The beloved Brit-pop band is on tour celebrating the twenty-year anniversary of the release of Hopes and Fears, the album that put them on the map for their anthemic, piano-driven songs.

Everything Everything opened the show with a low-key set that touched on a few of their more popular songs, “The End of the Contender,” “Distant Past,” “Pizza Boy” and “Cold Reactor.” Hailing from Manchester, England, the band has put out seven albums since 2010, including their latest, Mountainhead that was released last March. Their sound ranges from chaotic and loud to melodic and serene. Their seven-song set was a quiet start to the night and left a few people around me scratching their heads at some of the lyrics. I’m a huge Brit-pop fan but this didn’t quite land for me. (Sorry guys!)

The mostly Gen-X and Millennial crowd was practically ravenous for Keane. The band came out fully hyped with lead singer Tom Chaplin leaping around the stage, pumping his fists like a prize fighter and grinning ear to ear. “Can’t Stop Now” kicked off the set and the crowd applauded and cheered for what seemed like a solid minute after it was over while the band soaked it all in. It felt like all of our hearts were going to burst with joy, and the mutual lovefest between the band and the crowd endured all night. 

Keane conquered a robust setlist over the course of two hours on a hot and humid night in St. Paul. They didn’t need to rely on an elaborate stage setup or light show. Instead the band let the music do all of the heavy lifting. Chaplin’s pure and soaring vocals are as strong as ever and even more impressive in person. He belted out twenty two songs effortlessly, while peppering in earnest commentary and gratitude for the life-changing trajectory they experienced with the release of Hopes and Fears in 2004. On stage he shared the spotlight the most with Tim Rice-Oxley, whose expert piano and synthesizer work is as much the beating heart of Keane as Chaplin’s crystalline vocals. The two of them pairing up on the piano and organ for the subdued “Hamburg Song” made all of us feel like we were in a cathedral worshiping the gods of ethereal Brit-pop.

Even though the tour is celebrating Hopes and Fears, the band also treated the crowd to a plethora of hits from all of their albums, including “Bend and Break,” “Spiraling,” “Everybody’s Changing,” “This is the Last Time,” “Is It Any Wonder,” “We Might as Well Be Strangers,” “Crystal Ball,” “Sovereign Light Cafe,” “A Bad Dream,” and “The Way I Feel.” They ended the set with the song that catapulted them to fame, “Somewhere Only we Know,” and finished out the encore with “Bedshaped.” The songs haven’t aged and their sound is so consistent that it’s nearly impossible to discern which songs came out in 2004 versus their most recent album, Cause and Effect, from 2019. 

There’s no doubt that everyone in the crowd left with a full heart. I found myself humming one of their songs (completely out of tune, of course) as I walked to my car and noticed the guy in front of me was doing the same. It’s nearly impossible to get those catchy choruses out of your head. The adoring crowd made a strong case for convincing Keane to come back to the Twin Cities as soon as possible. Eleven years between gigs was way too long, but it also made us appreciate just how special of a night it really was. 

Side note: Keane got a boost in airplay and recognition back in 2006 when “Everybody’s Changing” was featured on an episode of Scrubs (Season 5, Episode 3, “My Day at the Races”) and again with “Bad Dreams” in 2007 (Season 6, Episode 15, “My Long Goodbye”). Scrubs was one of the first TV shows that featured “cool” bands in their shows and set the standard for other TV shows to start doing the same. I discovered countless bands from that TV show. I went back and rewatched those particular episodes the night before this concert. They still hit hard. Check those out if you’re a Keane fan!