Review: High emotions, big crowd fill Lowertown Sounds’ opening night with the New Standards

After an opening week canceled by bad weather and a scare over one of its headliners’ ability to perform again, St. Paul’s popular Lowertown Sounds concert series kicked off its 2025 season with a massive crowd, warm weather and high emotions Thursday night.

Several thousand music lovers turned out for the pairing of Twin Cities music scene vets Tina Schlieske and the New Standards for the free weekly event in downtown’s tree-lined Mears Park. Citing an unusually high number of changed kegs at the beer stand early in the night, organizer Clint Roberts said it was one of the biggest crowds he had ever seen for the series — and one of its most meaningful nights, too.

Schlieske’s opening set was extra-moving thanks to a spirited cover of “Family Affair” in tribute to the recently deceased Sly Stone, and to passionate versions of “Those Were the Days” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” filled with references to women’s rights and recent political matters.

The New Standards’ annual appearance in the series was in question after bassist/co-vocalist John Munson suffered a stroke in February. He opened up about the circumstances a half-hour into the 90-minute set.

“When my stroke happened, it was like, ‘Well, I guess we’ll have to cancel in Mears,’” said Munson, also of Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic fame (the latter of which had to cancel its summer gigs).

“But I was like, ‘Wait!’ We need to play Mears.’”

Play they did — including Munson himself. Though he is still relearning the mechanics of playing the bass during his recuperation, he managed to pick up and play the instrument for a few songs on Thursday night.

The first was during a lilting cover of the Magnetic Fields’ “Book of Love,” one of the many remade cult classics in the show delivered by Munson with a strong voice and what sounded like an extra bit of sentiment. He kicked off the set singing David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” and Dan Hicks’ “I Scare Myself,” each done up in jazzy revisionist style that has become the trademark of Munson’s trio with Chan Poling of the Suburbs and vibraphonist Steve Roehm.

There were a lot of new New Standards members in tow Thursday, too. Among them: Munson’s longtime Semisonic collaborator Ken Chastain, who often plays drums with TNS but filled in on bass instead. That left the spot behind the kit to Honeydogs/Brian Setzer drummer Noah Levy. Singer/songwiters Aby Wolf and Lucy Michelle also came up to helm a couple of songs apiece.

Schlieske returned to the stage, too, joining the headliners for throat-scorching versions of Doris Day’s “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” and James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.”

Munson pitched in on vocals all night and was even able to add a little something else during an extra-buoyant mix of “Tainted Love” and “Bizarre Love Triangle”: dancing.

“I’d like to thank the weather gods for cooperating tonight,” he said afterward, “and I’d like to thank the world for giving me the chance to dance again.”

Lowertown Sounds continues next Thursday, June 26, with Prince’s favorite house band Dr. Mambo’s Combo and Purple Funk Metropolis. Last week’s would-be opening show with the Flamin’ Oh’s, Lonesome Dan Kase and Faith Boblett has been rescheduled for Sept. 11.