Concert review: A Taylor Swift cover band had kids singing and dancing at the Grandstand

The Minnesota State Fair Grandstand opened the season with a sold out Old Dominion show and wrapped up on Monday with Taylor Swift Well not the actual Taylor Swift but her music did ring through the stands during late morning and mid-afternoon sets from Bri and the Anti-heroes The band of six friends came together in the spring of to pay tribute to Taylor Swift Led by vocalist and North Dakota native Brianna Helbling the group says they have sold out every show they ve played including First Avenue Alas the Anti-heroes streak is now broken as the crowds for the two shows numbered in the hundreds not thousands But it was still a blast to hear songs like We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and Ready for It performed beneath sunny skies and certain of the greater part gorgeous weather of this year s Great Minnesota Get-Together The New York-based Rock and Roll Playhouse presented the shows The company promises families an opportunity to rock out in an effort to educate children and encourage them to explore their creativity and that they aim to fill the void for shared musical experiences between parents and children And well that s exactly what happened during the afternoon show on Monday Bri and the Anti-heroes took the stage promptly at p m with Cruel Summer the song that became a hit four years later thanks to its placement in Swift s wildly effective Eras Tour In a nod to that two-year outing the Anti-heroes performed the -minute show in mini blocks devoted to specific Swift albums from s Fearless to last year s The Tortured Poets Department Helbling who sparkled with her strong voice and cheery disposition even briskly changed outfits for each record represented with help from her mother who was stationed backstage Families started to trickle into the open space in front of the stage with more filling in with each song Early on the band urged everyone to move closer to the stage and they did By the time the Anti-heroes moved into the era the floor was hopping with the kids almost entirely ages and under warbling and dancing with the sort of pure utterly carefree glee rarely located outside the pre-pubescent set The Anti-heroes added rapped verses to Bad Blood a saxophone to Shake it Off and led several games with the crowd including a lively limbo contest And again the kids loved it So did a lot of the dads It was a terrific way to bid farewell to the State Fair and Grandstand for the year Related Articles Minnesota s first K-pop convention coming to St Paul RiverCentre Concert review Nelly and Ja Rule turn the Grandstand into the biggest party in town Concert review The Avett Brothers rock up the folk at the State Fair Grandstand State Fair Grandstand review Daryl Hall and the Rascals offer a sweet night of soul to a state in need Concert review A reunited and reinvigorated Linkin Park thrills Target Center crowd